In Need of an Illusion
by Molinebar2
Summary: (AU, Pink Pocky, OtoShie) The girls of Class Black have one thing in common that no one else has - they all have supernatural powers. While it starts off peacefully, news spreads that a human is hiding within the class, and their only choice is to eliminate them. Unfortunately for Haruki, her useless power makes her a target, and she has to fight for survival. [Hiatus]
1. Chapter 1: Useless

**Chapter 1: Useless**

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**A/N: ****Have you ever just thought, "Hey, why does Nio have a special power, and no one else does?" Yes? Well, this fic is for you, then! I certainly have, that's why this AU exists!**

**But anyway, that's besides the point. The pairings in this will focus on Haruki/Isuke and Otoya/Shiena~ I've decided to makes the pairings in this more prominent too, so yeah. Yaaaay. :D**

**Anyway, enjoy the first chapter. :)**

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_Myojo Academy. Everyone in the country knew it's name, and saw it as one of the most prestigious schools one could attend._

_With a budget almost as large as it's buildings, and numbers of facilities greater than one could count on two fingers, it was also a place that attracted large amounts of envy. It wasn't surprising, since any student that enrolled at this school would be granted a place in society upon graduating, and given a path straight to success._

_However, for the 13 female students of the Black Class inside this academy, not a single person on the planet could feel envious of them._

_Each of them had been gathered from different parts of the country, rounded up and placed into one class where they would get an education. However, these people were not randomly chosen. Instead, they all held one trait similar to one another- one trait that each of them shared, along with no other person. _

_They all were born as deformities, isolated from the rest of society because they held something that no one else did._

_Super powers._

_Though the rest of the school- or even the rest of the world saw the class as a bunch of irregular monsters, that wasn't the problem that had sparked within them and caused a fuss. Another matter, another rumour had risen that involved them. But this time, it was necessary to get to the bottom of it._

_Word had spread that among the 13 students, one of them was actually a normal human being, without any special abilities whatsoever. Of course, since these deformities and humans seemed like two completely different species, having one among the rest was bound to spark fury in their hearts._

_That's why they felt that, at all costs, this human needed to be executed. _

_No matter how far the girls needed to go, the human needed to be killed._

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**Haruki's POV**

I still remember exactly when it all began.

"...I have news to tell everyone today." It started off like another day would. I, along with my 12 female classmates, were scattered about our classroom, waiting for that bell to ring and start class. "Very, _very _special, interesting news that you might want to hear."

At the front of the room stood Nio Hashiri, another student, just like me. It wasn't unusual for her to be addressing all of us with such a tone, so I raised a curious eyebrow. I would by lying if I said I wasn't interested in anything she said.

"Go ahead then, we don't have all morning." Interrupting the blonde was the voice of my new roommate, Inukai Isuke. Since we'd only been at this school for a week or so, I still considered her 'new'. I didn't even know her power yet- no one knew of anyone else's power really, since we were forbidden from showcasing them, unless necessary. But that was all besides the point. "Take too long, and Mizorogi-sensei will hear it too."

"Right, right!" Nio played off with an innocent smile, and nod of her head. I didn't speak a word as I brushed a strand of red hair out of my face, listening to them.

_Listening. _

"Really though, this is important. You'd better be listening, guys." she continued. At those words though, her tone seemed to drop, and she wore a dark expression. Her smile still remained on her face, causing quite an unnerving sight. I ignored it. "I was talking to one of the head staff of this school today, and, well... something's been confirmed."

"Yes, what is it...?" The daughter of Hanabusa pushed, from her luxury seat. Like, literally, it was a luxury seat. It looked like a throne; she brought it from her home, apparently.

"...inside this class." Nio whispered, talking in a rather hushed tone as she clasped her hands behind her back. Leaning forward, she sent occasional glances to the corner of her vision, as if cautious someone else would walk into the room. I couldn't help leaning on the edge of my seat too, questions bubbling over in my head, waiting for what was next.

I don't think anyone in the room was prepared for the words that followed.

"...inside this class, there's a human among us."

The room fell silent.

"So in other words, there's a _fake among us. A traitor, pretending to be one of us." _

I swallowed. No one dared to say a word through the silence, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief. The news had come too suddenly, after all. What was I supposed to do, just down right accept it, right then and there...? While Nio's source of information was always correct, the doubt in my chest remained.

I sighed, shaking my head with furrowed eyebrows. "Eh...? A traitor? And you're serious about all this?" were the words that slipped from my mouth. It seemed I wasn't the only one doubting it after all, though. What am I on about...? It was more like no one in the room seemed to take the news to heart.

"Huh? Is that seriously the 'important news' you needed to tell us? You're a disappointment, getting up Isuke's hopes like that." I never really questioned why Isuke referred to herself in third person, and I wasn't about to. That was the last thing on my mind.

"A disappointment? How cold...!" The blonde at the front of the room whined, wearing a nonchalant expression. With her hands on her hips, she huffed. "Have I ever let you all down before...?" She left the question hanging in the air. "My sources _are _reliable, and 100% accurate. You all should know that by now."

Even if she said it in such a whimsical tone, something about Nio's words struck me as dark and cold. They seemed down-right serious. She had no reason to be lying, really, but at the same time, we had no reason to trust her.

"And how can we truly believe that...?" Suzu commented from across the room. Everyone seemed to be in on the conversation by now, looking up from whatever they were doing.

Nio smirked. She seemed awfully confident in her words- almost too confident. "I'm not the only one who knows of this news. Ask around. Ask the teachers, other students, principal... you'll get the same answer." she explained. "It's _all true. _Why would I put us through additional stress, huh...? We live hard enough lives as it is."

No matter how many times the blonde explained it and told us again, questions from the rest of us kept bouncing back and forth, over and over again. Nobody was convinced, nobody believed it, nobody wanted to even think about the possibility of a human hiding among us.

Minutes passed. The routine continued and continued.

"No one's going to believe you, Nio."

"Stop messing with us, will you...?"

"Show some proof!"

The words never seemed to stop.

The only thing that finally broke the furious atmosphere and the chain of questions and insults was the bell, loud and ringing through the speakers. Only then, did everyone finally silence, and I was finally able to take a breath.

_'Soon...' _I repeated to myself. _'Soon, Sensei will come into the room. Maybe then we can get another opinion on this matter, and finally come to a decision, or something.' _I didn't know if I was being too optimistic, or whether everyone else was taking this too hard, but I seemed to be one of the calmest in the room. While the constant banter had been tiring to listen to, the smile on my face was still prominent.

_'Ah, speak of the devil.' _Within seconds, the door to our classroom slid open, and a warm voice settled the room down.

"Good morning, ladies! Ah- you all seem lively today. That's good to see." But for some reason, something about Mizorogi's tone didn't seem quite right. Something about him seemed too... grim, for a normal morning. It looked like something was bugging him, was on his mind as he put on a smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

I swallowed, fidgeting in my seat. Remaining silent, I watched everyone return to their seats and desks before slowly coming to raise my hand.

"Sagae-san? You have a question? What is it? Class has barely started and you're already fired up...!" It wasn't the eyes of everyone around me that bugged me. It was the forced tone of the teacher before me that made me feel on-edge.

_'Maybe this is all true.' _But the thought was dismissed within seconds, and I retreated my hand by my side.

"I just wanted to ask something quick, that's kinda unrelated." I began. He seemed almost shocked, blinking his eyes that stared straight at me.

"Yes...?" he urged, holding a clipboard in his hands. He tapped lightly on it's sides as he waited, and as I collected my thoughts.

"Okay, well... it's about this class." Every part of me itched as I dragged on and on, fumbling for how to word it. Mizorogi was a nice guy who was never down, never too serious, so I didn't want to suddenly change that. But at the same time, he was the only reliable staff member we could ask. He was the only staff member that bothered to take the time to research our abilities, so he knew the most about us.

It would only be natural if he knew about this new matter on our hands, too...

"This class?" he repeated. I merely nodded my head, giving a small frown. I felt my gaze stiffen as I looked up from my desk, hand reaching up for the back of my neck.

"...every single person in this class has an ability, right?"

He paused. The male's expression stayed unreadable, almost as if a thousand thoughts had been triggered in his brain, and he was fighting them off internally. The way I'd describe it, he seemed nothing but spaced out, and yet, his light-hearted laugh was what broke the silence.

"What kind of question is that, Sagae-san?"

"A valid one." My response was quick, and genuine, although I hated to shatter his mood like that. He seemed taken aback once more, leaving his mouth agape, and the silence to return. The only thing I could do was simply wait in anticipation, in curiosity, in fear for what he would do and say next.

"We wouldn't allow anyone else into this class, I don't see why you're asking something like that." That was the nonchalant response I received. And to be blunt, it was kinda disappointing, but at the same time, relieving. _'Nio was talking nonsense after all, huh?' _I sighed, leaning back in my seat. A smile happened to return to my face just as I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

That was because I stopped myself.

Someone else had gotten to speaking first, and I was left stunned.

"But that's not what I've heard around the school." The cold voice of Azuma Tokaku filled the room, and our teacher's gaze was soon set on her instead of me. He raised an eyebrow, though with the way he fiddled with his tie as he did so, he seemed more nervous than curious.

"Azuma, what on earth do you mean?" he asked, letting out a nervous laugh which was less than convincing. The other merely continued staring out the window beside her, leaning on her left elbow as she spoke once more.

"If you teachers are able to tell other students of rumours about this class, and talk about it freely amongst yourselves, then we're entitled to know, as well." Just like a dagger, her words sliced through the atmosphere, and seemingly through Mizorogi's defence. Sliding his hand down and off his tie, he looked around the classroom.

It was strange to see him so speechless, but after such a straight-forward accusation and question, he had all rights to be. There he was, the teacher of this inferior class, getting cornered by the students themselves. I had to say, I felt kinda sorry for the guy, but not enough to actually show it.

"Look..." he started, clumsy smile still on his face. "I don't know anything you guys are talking about-"

"We can fix the problem if you tell us what it is, Mizorogi-sensei. Though you should have informed us earlier, I guess it can't be helped." Tokaku interrupted once more. At that, the adult lost all will to fight back.

"Ah... getting pressured by my own students..." he muttered under his breath. It was clear he didn't want anyone else to hear, but of course, I heard it loud and clear. Picking his gaze up from the floor, he continued, though only in a partially louder tone. He rubbed his neck. "You guys know I'm not allowed to tell you everything, right...? I'd be in big trouble if I got caught, so... I'd appreciate it if you could keep talk about this to a minimal."

That was it. He cracked and was leaking information.

That alone was enough to catch the attention and interest of the rest of the class, who were now probably sitting on the edge of their seats, just like I was. There was really more to this class than we thought- why wouldn't we be surprised?

"I'm sure there'll be exceptions and no guarantees, but on behalf of everyone else, I assure you, we'll do our best in protecting this appreciated information." Kouko responded. I had to admit, having someone like her around was helpful, just so it made the rest of us seem as innocent and righteous as her. Of course, her words were far from the truth, but at least the teacher believed in them.

"R-Right." he started again, wearing a nervous smile.

"So, what is this information you haven't told us, huh, Sensei~?" Isuke pushed, showcasing her low amount of patience. It didn't seem to bug Mizorogi in the slightest, as he merely placed his clipboard down onto the desk in front of him. Taking a seat, he intertwined his fingers together and rested his elbows on the desk, looking out towards the rest of us with the most stern expression he's ever given.

"If anyone asks you... please, don't tell them you received all this from me. For both all our sakes, please..." His tone was hushed and serious, although no one could blame him. Nobody interrupted as he continued, and as I listened, I found myself habitually playing with my loose strands of hair.

. . .

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"You're kidding me..."

_Thump. Thump._

"This is ridiculous."

_Thump._

"So it's all true, huh...?"

I ignored the bell that rang, signalling recess as I glanced down at my hands. Ever since Mizorogi-sensei had explained all of that this morning, I hadn't been able to concentrate on anything. The voices of everyone around me merely stirred in my ears as they twitched. I was able to hear the pounding of my heart clearer than anything else.

Everything we heard from Mizorogi-sensei and Nio was so ridiculous, and yet, I was in too much of a state of shock to truly be able to say I hadn't believed it. As my thoughts and own voice grew louder in my head, I drowned out the voices of those around my completely, staring wide-eyed at my empty desk.

_'It's all... it's all true, then?' _I began. _'All of what Nio said was true. How can that possibly be real though? There's no way... I mean, this is Myojo Academy. They wouldn't slip up and let a normal person in with the rest of us. I really don't want to believe something like that, but... I guess after hearing all that, and seeing the proof... there really is a human hiding amongst us, huh...? A fake. A traitor. Someone that should be...'_

"...they should be killed, right?" The words slipped from my mouth, but that wasn't what caught me off-guard. As I lifted my eyes to the rest of the room, everyone was staring right at me, and the conversation they were all so immersed in had paused. Of course, I hadn't heard a word of it, so I had no idea why I had gained all that attention. "W-What...?"

"Nothing. You just didn't seem like you were paying attention to us, and yet you went ahead and said the same thing Isuke did, and at the same time." Staring at my roommate, I blinked, staring with a blank face.

"Huh...?" I was pretty confused, to say the least. Isuke waved a hand towards me, frowning with closed eyes.

"You should be paying attention too." she demanded, seeming more disappointed in me than anything else. "After all, it could be your life on the line."

_Life on the line? _

_'Then, that means, they're seriously going to...'_

"...wait, hold it." Standing from my seat, I placed a hand on my hip, approaching the others that had gathered. "So... you're seriously going to _kill _this one human amongst us...? You're not going to get them expelled, or anything...?"

"Huh? Why are you asking such questions? You said it yourself, as well." I blinked.

Oh, I did too!

"A-Ah, right. I wasn't really thinking when I said that, you know...! It was just a thought... that happened to slip... I just wanted to know if you were taking it all seriously. No need to get so mad at me." I tried my best to justify myself, but it didn't really seem to be working at all. I could feel everyone's glares my way. _'Great. Just great... I'm accidentally acting suspicious. Perfect!'_

"You really weren't listening, huh...?" Isuke responded, sighing deeply. "That's a shame, then. I'm not going to go through all the trouble to explain what we've decided on. Too much effort to waste on someone like you."

"Someone like me...?" I murmured. I didn't really know what she meant, but it was insulting- that's all I needed to understand, I guess.

"You make it seem like we've come up with a lot, Isuke-san..." Shiena spoke up. It was one of the first times I'd heard her speak without being addressed first really, but that was probably only because I didn't pay too much attention to her. "Really, we've only decided on one thing."

"And that one thing is...?" _'I really should have been listening, huh...? Oh well.' _I dismissed, as I questioned the group further.

"From now on, it'll be our job to investigate this issue." Sumireko took over, placing her hands firmly in her lap as she spoke. She gazed right at me, with an almost gracefully dark look. I know that didn't make sense, but with her smile and sharp eyes, it was the only way to properly describe it. "Once we find or suspect this human, we must eliminate them. In other words, yes, kill them."

"...isn't that a little extreme to any of you?" I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Why would someone go to the trouble of pretending they had a power and pretend they were a deformity, in the first place? Doesn't _that _seem a little extreme on it's own? Since they probably took large measures to get into this class and fool us, we'll have to go to large measures to teach them a lesson, don't you think...?" Suzu's line of reasoning was quite sound, though I had a feeling this was what they were discussing the entire time, and she just summed it up for me.

"...right." That was all I could say in response, as my gaze dropped to the floor. Even then, it seemed there was more they needed to tell me, so the girls continued.

"Oh, and one more thing that you might need to know, Haruki-san." Nio joined in, using her unsettling, cheery tone. "We've decided that using our powers while trying to do so is A-Okay!"

"...wait, what?" I paused, furrowing my eyebrows as everything around me stopped. Slowly, my eyes trailed up from the floor to meet the one's of the blonde girl, as the confusion I felt showed all over my face. "Isn't that... forbidden within school grounds though?"

"The rules state that it's forbidden unless it's required, or necessary. If we're using them to our benefit, survival or to kill the traitor... I'd say that's pretty necessary to me, so it should be fine." she continued.

I couldn't help staring in disbelief at the words. It wasn't that I didn't like using my power, since it happened on a daily occurrence anyway, but it was a handful to take in- especially because I had no idea what the others were capable of.

Actually, the more I thought about it, the more terrifying that thought became.

"Alright then." was my quiet response, as a small smile made it's way onto my face. However, I felt nothing like happiness inside of me. "Wait, what's the point in this, anyway?" Suddenly, I felt my mind racing, and questions reaching me, one after another. I wasn't about to sit still after hearing such overwhelming things. "If we all state our powers here, and give a demonstration, shouldn't that single out the human easily enough...?"

"If a small demonstration would rule them out, then how could that person have possibly lasted this long in the class without being caught, let alone pass the entrance examination?" Chitaru's sound words sparked memories of that horrid exam we all had to go through, sending shivers down my spine. I didn't want to remember the scowling faces of those mad scientists, who stared at me like I was some kind of lab rat as I demonstrated my power...

I shook my head, ridding myself of the thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that.

But then again, knowing that one person had lied their way through that exam was quite an infuriating thought.

"I-I guess you've got a point there..." I muttered, cupping my chin with a spare hand.

"Demonstrating one's power during a fight to the death, however..." Sumireko picked up, continuing on like someone's death was no big deal. "That should be able to prove whether someone is a deformity or not."

"That's exactly the plan, right?"

"Yeah, that's why killing them is the only option. I mean, what else is there to do...?"

"We can't just sit around and wait."

As the other girls continued conversing around me, I found myself growing more and more distant from the discussion at hand. I had all the information I needed anyway, so I didn't see the need to really listen any closer. I was practically useless, anyway.

I could still feel the nerves covering my entire body though, reminding me of the reality at hand. Someone was going to die, someone was going to die, someone was going to die. I knew it wasn't going to be me though, so why did I feel so scared...?

It was then, at that moment, when I came to a vital realisation. One that shocked through every limb in my body and caused me to stand motionless and wide-eyed.

_'My power.' _I repeated. _'It's nothing physical... nothing I can demonstrate in front of people... it's something anyone can easily lie about and get away with..._

_...so I bet they'll suspect me.'_

Instead of all the fuzzy noise that lingered in my ears, or the words of the girls around me, the only thing I heard was my own voice in my head. Besides that, there was nothing but silence.

That was my power, after all. It had been given the title of 'Enhanced Hearing', an ability that allowed me to hear anything within a 30m radius of where I stood. Just like a computer program, it allowed me to choose which layers of noise around me to listen to, and which ones to mute. In a noisy environment, it was quite useful, as I could block out anything but my own voice, and if I ever needed to eavesdrop on someone, I could easily do so without interruption.

But in a fight? A physical fight? It was no use at all.

I was unfortunate enough to have been born with one of the most useless of abilities, and I knew that I could die because of it.

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**A/N: While I do have abilities for everyone already planned out, (I'll reveal them over time! :D) any feedback or ideas you have are greatly appreciated! ^.^**

**Hopefully, I'll see you all again in the next chapter~**


	2. Chapter 2: Lucky

**Chapter 2: Lucky**

I sighed, letting out a long breath through my nostrils as I closed the large door behind me. _'Out of all the things to learn today...' _I began, kicking off my shoes inside my dorm room. _'I didn't quite expect to learn that my line could be on the line from now on. Just perfect for the start of a year, huh?' _Since the sun had long vanished from the sky outside and a dark blanket of night and stars had taken it's place, it wasn't surprising to see my roommate already present inside the room, looking as impatient as ever.

As I approached the pink-haired girl sitting at her desk, in the corner of the room, I waved. "Hey, Isuke. You sure got back here early." I greeted. Her eyebrows twitched in annoyance though, and her scowl deepened before she suddenly glared up at me.

"That's _Isuke-sama, _to you." she corrected, wearing an all too unfitting smile. However, such a thing didn't matter to me, so I brushed it off with a laugh.

"Okay, fine, Isuke-sama, then." I repeated. She seemed a lot more pleased at that, and eased in her seat. Her gaze returned to her outstretched hands and nails, and if she hadn't continue to speak up, then I would have believed she had dismissed me.

"On another note however, why are _you _back so late? This is the first time you haven't returned straight to your dorm after class has finished." Though I had a sound explanation for myself, I habitually rubbed the back of my neck, pondering on my response. Strangely enough, I felt kinda nervous about telling my roommate of my whereabouts - even if there was no reason to be.

"I have to say, I'm surprised you've realised something like that about me, Isuke-sama." ...so I avoided giving a straight-forward answer. Unfortunately enough, my strategy wasn't very effective, and I was quickly put back in the spotlight.

"You make it seem like it's some kind of feat or achievement." she coldly responded. "But even so, you haven't answered Isuke's question."

Shaking my head, I let out a sigh in defeat. There wasn't much point in stalling or lying to her, was there? Placing my hands behind my head, I took a seat nearby on the lounge, crossing one leg above the other. "You really want to know where I was that whole time...?" I asked, just for confirmation.

"Not really, no. It doesn't make a difference, but I am curious." I couldn't help but allow my smile to widen, amused by my roommate's response. I allowed my gaze to wander around the room, before it finally settled on the other female.

"I was just walking around the school, on my own. I dropped into the library, and spend most of my time there, I guess." Isuke didn't even bother to raise an eyebrow or glance up from her hands, as she let out a sigh.

"And your reason for doing such a thing is...?" While I was thankful for the casual conversation, I couldn't help picking on her a little.

"Huh? Do you care about me that much, or something?"

"Don't get your hopes up, I _did say _I was just curious."

I laughed. "It was only a joke, Isuke-sama, I heard you when you said it." was my light-hearted response. Leaning back into the lounge, I allowed my previously tense body to relax and ease out, as I stared at the ceiling. "I just needed some space and time to think after all that happened today, that's all."

She hummed in understanding, and finally, pivoted around in her seat to face me. I wasn't exactly looking at her to confirm it, but I heard her shifting in her chair, and her voice directly aimed at me. In fact, those were the only things I really heard, since everything outside of the room was pretty much 'on mute', as I would call it.

"Ah, a lot of interesting matters came up today, didn't they?" she continued. "Although it doesn't seem impossible, I never would have guessed that a human would be trying to pose as a deformity."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, you've got that right... It just seems a little too... questionable, you know? I mean, why would someone go through all that trouble...?"

"Who knows. The 'why' doesn't really matter to us, anyway." Isuke was quick to brush my words off, though I wasn't about to complain. "What matters is that what they've done is unacceptable."

"I wonder how long it'll take for us to find them..."

"Hopefully, it won't take very long, now that they've been exposed. I'm sure their life won't last very long, either." I'd been given an entire day to accept that fact, so it didn't faze me anymore. I merely frowned, getting rid of the unfitting smile that was previously present in the atmosphere.

"Yeah..." I muttered, unconsciously dropping my tone. It was only then, at that moment of slow conversation, that I found a vital question hanging on the tip of my tongue.

_'If I ask someone else about it, then... maybe I'll think about it less, right? If they reassure me otherwise, it won't be that big of a problem.' _Without me realising it, my hands had covered themselves in a thick layer of sweat. _'If I get another opinion on this matter, then I won't have to think about it as hard, yeah...?'_

I swallowed. There wasn't any harm in asking, right?

I was so unsure of myself, and yet, the words came out so smoothly. It probably shocked myself more than it did Isuke.

"Say, Isuke-sama... out of everyone in our class, who do you suspect is the traitor?"

The room fell silent for a moment, allowing the sound of my own thoughts take over again.

_'Eh... I wonder what's going through her head.' _Quickly, I ran through the names of all of our classmates in my head, picturing their respective faces as I did so. _'She could say any one of their names, and I'd be fine. She could say my name, and that'd make things worse. She could even admit it right here and now...' _

After all that, I found myself waiting in greater anticipation than ever for a response.

The closest thing I got at first, was a hum of thought from the other girl. She seemed to be thinking quite closely, and I decided not to interrupt, as I continued to wait. I shot glances at the clock across the wall, the ceiling above me, and finally Isuke, as I waited in the silence.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock. _

It was only when I paid attention to the quiet ticking of the clock when the other's voice reached my ears again.

"So many choices, so many possibilities, and we've only all just met..." she muttered. As I listened to her slow words, I uncrossed my legs, resting my elbows on my thighs as I leant forward. It didn't really help that I had to turn my head to look at the other girl, but I put up with it. "At this point in time, I don't really suspect anyone. However, I can say that I don't trust a single person..."

She paused.

"...and that includes you, Haruki."

What I felt afterwards however, was nothing irregular.

Leaving my eyes half-lidded, I gazed down at the floor, smile nowhere to be seen on my face. I didn't feel scared, ashamed or even in the least bit surprised. It was as if I had expected the words to come, and they had simply bounced off me.

It was nothing big. She didn't trust me, that was it. She had a valid reason for it anyway.

And so I paid it no more attention, and dismissed it just like that.

"...I don't think anything I say will make you trust me any more, so that's fine with me." That was the response I gave, as I finally let out a small laugh. It wasn't so much because I was feeling happy - rather, the situation was amusing me. Plus, sitting around with a frown for too long just didn't feel natural to me.

"I'm not worried about this whole ideal at all, though. It's not a big deal if someone's killed off, especially since it isn't going to be me, anyway. I don't see why everyone else is making such a huge fuss." Though I could partially agree with what my roommate had stated, my own worries and concerns for false accusations still lingered in the back of my head.

That was something I was willing to voice, as well. "While you've got a point there..." I began, lifting my head. "Doesn't the thought of false accusation worry you at all?"

"False accusation?" From the sound of things, it didn't seem like Isuke had even considered that possibility prior to my reminder.

"I mean, it's not like the human is going to wave around a flag and admit they are one. It's going to take investigation, demonstrations and hard proof to really back them into a corner... so when you think about it, it wouldn't be all that hard to make a mistake and end up cornering a fellow deformity."

Isuke paused, taking in my words, as we sat in silence once more. It seemed this type of conversation was making me shift in my seat a lot, since before I knew it, I was sitting with my back straight back up against the lounge.

"Ha. I think there's little room for error, but knowing the rest of this incapable class, that is likely to happen." She wasn't at all concerned for it like I was, though. Maybe she was just that confident in her words. Either way, it was unbelievable how nonchalant she remained about it all - but then again, I wasn't one to be talking. I was still wearing a smile, after all. "Oh well. What can we do? If we end up accidentally getting rid of another deformity in the process, what's there to feel bad about? It just means we get one step closer to the truth, don't you think~?"

"Well... that's one way of putting it." I wasn't so convinced, but I didn't completely disagree with her either. "You wouldn't feel bad for that innocent person at all, Isuke-sama...?"

"Why would you even bother asking such a question?" was what she snapped in response, sounding quite offended by my harmless question. Well, I saw it as harmless, at least. Isuke clearly begged to differ. "I couldn't care less for other people's lives. I'm only in this class since I was forced to be, after all. If I had a choice, I'd be at home with my Mama and Papa." she huffed, folding her arms.

"Right, right." I shook my head. "Nice to know."

Isuke looked up to glare at me, pale skin shining in the dimly illuminated room. "_...what? Is there an issue?" _

To prevent from a further misunderstanding, I waved my hands in front of my chest in defense, blinking. "Ah, that was me being genuine! It really is nice to know something more personal about you, since I don't actually know much." I explained, with a lopsided smile. She seemed to believe it, easing in her seat enough to lose the title of being scary.

"Fine. If you say so." she brushed off, twirling one of her fingers around her ringlets. I didn't know why, but for some reason, I saw this as my chance. I could steer the conversation somewhere else, and talk about something comfortable with my new roommate, in peace - just like I'd wanted. So I wasn't about to waste my time.

"Say, while we're on that subject, why don't you tell me more, Isuke-sama?" I questioned, earning a raised eyebrow from the other girl.

"Hm? More about what?"

"I don't know, anything. Something about yourself, or your Mama and Papa, or something." I gave a warm smile, resting one arm on the back of the lounge as I pivoted to fully face my roommate. The confusion on her face was soon replaced with a more sinister look, as I stared back at the grin showing my way.

"Eh? Why, have you come to take an interest in me, Haruki~?"

"Huh? Is there something wrong with me just wanting to know you better, since you're my roommate?" I dismissed her teasing with a bright smile. She seemed a little disappointed in my lack of reaction, but that didn't matter to me.

"Whatever. If you insist. If you _really _want to learn something about me, then..." she began, taking a moment to ponder, possibly about what to say next. I waited patiently, eyes open in curiosity. She sure was taking a long moment to think.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock._

I shifted my gaze around the room for few seconds, before returning it to Isuke. I continued to wait in silence, listening to the clock once again, in hopes she would overwrite it's sound soon.

_Tick, tock._

It seemed I was being a little optimistic though, as the silence continued to drag on for quite the while. Isuke merely sat in her seat, kicking her feet against the legs of the chair as she frowned. I could hear her quiet humming of thought, though this was really the only thing signalling to me that she was still thinking.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, her head snapped up, and she sent a glare straight at me. We immediately made eye-contact, though my confused stare looked pathetic compared to the deadly eyes that were gazing back at me.

For a split moment, I could have sworn I saw her eyes begin to glow.

However, the sight of that disappeared as I blinked the next moment, and I was met with nothing but a regular glare. Well, that and an awkward atmosphere.

Frowning, I tilted my head, sending a glance at the lounge I was positioned on, before looking back up at Isuke. _'What exactly is going through her head...?' _"W-Wasn't that a little sudden, Isuke-sama?" I forced, through a small smile. "Are you... going to say anything yet, or what?"

No response.

"I'm still waiting, you know."

No response.

It was quite frustrating how all she did was shrug her shoulders at me, in response to everything I said.

"Isuke-sama...?"

Shrug.

"Are you even listening to me anymore...?"

Shrug.

"Are you even on this planet anymore?"

Shrug.

She didn't even bother looking at me anymore, as she closed her eyes, doing nothing but literally shrug me off. _'What is this girl's problem, exactly...? I'm just asking normal questions so we can bond, gee.' _As my thoughts continued in place of my words, I let out a sigh, puffing out my chest.

"Okay, fine then, I'll wait a little longer." At that, I finally closed my mouth, focusing on what was going on inside of my body, rather than outside. Isuke was being a bother anyway, so there wasn't much point in focusing on her.

Twisting around in my seat, I let my head drop to the floor as I sat straight forward. _'What _is _her problem...?' _I repeated. _'How long is she going to make me wait...? No, wait, this is supposed to be a normal conversation, so why is she stalling for so long, and being difficult about it?'_

I could feel my patience wearing thin as I pinched the bridge of my nose, balling up my other hand into a tight fist. _'Seriously...' _As I tried to let out a single, deep breath, I realised just how tight and crowded my chest felt. Not only that, but it seriously felt like it was burning.

Burning?

Before I even had a mind clear enough to question it though, I habitually began tapping my foot against the ground, impatiently. I could feel my frown intensifying and stretching across my face, as energy began to spread through my limbs. Sure, it was a little strange, but I didn't question it.

The only thing I was questioning was why Isuke was making me wait, and brushing me off like I was something to be toyed with, and nothing more.

It wasn't long before that burning grew and grew, causing my body to silently tremble in its place. My heart beat was loud and erratic by then as well, as I could feel it pounding through every part of my body. _'Is she done yet...?' _I thought. _'Is she done messing around yet...?'_

I felt the lid on my thoughts fly off, and soon enough, my agitated voice was filling the room once more. "Oi, Isuke-sama? Are you done yet, giving me this silent treatment?" By then, I wasn't even thinking about the words that left my mouth. I was only focusing on the one emotion that I felt - the one emotion that controlled me.

_Anger._

"You really aren't listening anymore, are you?" My volume just continued to increase with each word, as I felt my eyes twitch. "Hey, when someone speaks to you, _it's respectful to look at them, you know." _But even then, I barely even received a glance in response. She lifted an eyebrow, and gave yet. Another. Shrug.

Grinding my teeth together, I shot up from my position, slamming my heels into the ground as I stormed up and over to the other, looming over her. I could still feel the burning sensation spreading across my chest as I fiercely grabbed Isuke's purple muffler, ripping her up from her seat to meet my eyes.

Even then, she gave no reaction whatsoever.

She just blankly stared back at me, like she was watching some boring stage performance.

Needless to say, but that did more than just get on my nerves.

"Are you serious? Not a _single word for me? At all? You're just going to sit there and stare, like this is some kind of entertainment for you...?" _Everything seemed like a blur by then, and all I could feel was the energy and burning pumping through me, guiding me. _"Well, you know what!? I don't even-"_

"Ah, it really is fun to play with, isn't it~?" Just like that, Isuke erupted into a loud fit of laughter, and could barely take a breath from it all. Eye twitching, I only tightened my grip further, causing her to finally make strong eye-contact with me.

And suddenly, everything paused.

"...huh?" Just like that, everything disappeared. There was no more burning, no excessive amount of energy, no anger clouding my thoughts. "...what the... hell...?" I had no more fuel, and simply had no more reason or strength to fight back. "...wait, what was I... why did I even do all that..."

Before I did anything else though, my eyes widened, and I immediately released Isuke from my grip. "A-Ah, I didn't mean to... s-sorry about that..." I lowered in my stance, giving an ashamed frown as I looked away. _'Why did I react like _that, _of all things...? Ah, I'm such an idiot sometimes...!'_

"...did you feel it?"

I blinked, caught off guard by her sudden words. "...huh? Feel... what?"

It seemed I only fuelled her laughter, and she burst into another loud fit. I had to wait until she had finally finished and regained herself, before receiving a reply.

"That." A very unsatisfying, vague reply, might I add.

"...that?" I repeated, managing to meet the other's gaze in the corner of my eye. She nodded her head, seeming very proud of herself.

"That." she said once more, placing a hand on her hip. "You said you wanted to learn something about Isuke, so, I showed you that."

"..._huh?" _With the more she said, the less sense it all made in my mind. I utterly, and truly was nothing but lost.

My roommate merely shook her head, letting out a sigh of disappointment. "I showed you my power, you idiot." I completely disregarded the insult, and continued to blankly stare in confusion.

"Your... power...?"

"Yes, my power, must I explain _everything _to you?" Even though she seemed to complain about it, Isuke went ahead and began explaining herself, anyway - much to my appreciation. "Before you go blaming yourself and losing sleep over it, that little display of anger and loss of control was, yes, caused by me."

_'T-That was a little mean. She couldn't have demonstrated her power in another way...?' _I decided to keep my words to myself though, as I allowed her to continue.

"My ability has the title of Emotion Manipulation. Pretty self-explanatory, but that's not all there is to it."

_'Emotion Manipulation...' _I repeated in my head. _'I guess... hah, I guess it makes sense now.'_

"Hey, are you even listening?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm listening, Isuke-sama!" For a moment there, I almost lost myself to my thoughts, and I was rewarded with a scowling Isuke in my face. Not all that pleasant really, but with that small reassurance, she backed off again, and returned to her explanation.

"Anyway. It's called Emotion Manipulation, since I'm able to read and plant emotions in anyone within a metre of me. It should probably be called Sin Manipulation though, since I'm only able to do so with the seven deadly sins - which is much more useful and interesting than regular emotions, if you ask Isuke."

Still wearing a curious frown, I tilted my head at her words. "The deadly sins...?" Just from those three words, Isuke's attitude seemed to alter completely, and a look of pride soon changed to utter disappointment.

"Don't tell me you don't know what they are..."

"No, I do know what they are, Isuke-sama, don't worry...!" She drew a sigh, and her expression softened.

"Then what is it? Got a problem? Is my power too unfair for you...?"

"No, that's not it either. I was just... amazed, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders, reminding me of how much the other had done so earlier. It wasn't the best thing to remember, but I happened to brush it aside pretty easily. "So what you planted in me earlier..."

"It was wrath, correct. You couldn't be any slower, could you?"

"I'm not even going to answer that." I dismissed, allowing my bright smile to return. "You know, if you ask me, that's a pretty useful power you have. You're lucky."

Before I knew it, the words had slipped from my mouth, and I was earning a questioning glance from my roommate. With a raised eyebrow, and her arms crossed right underneath her chest, she spoke once more.

"Useful? Lucky? I suppose so. It is _my _power, after all." She continued to twirl her ringlets around her finger, most likely in boredom as she continued to gaze at me. "For conversation and confirmation's sake though, why don't you tell me of your power, Haruki~? That is, if you have one."

Though the weight of her words seemed to cause my stomach to churn, I merely rubbed the back of my neck, and let out a laugh. I really was feeling quite carefree. "Hey, I do have a power. Have some faith in me, Isuke-sama."

The other began drumming her free fingers against the inner part of her arm, as she impatiently waited for me to continue. "Then do enlighten me."

I swallowed. It wasn't a problem to tell my roommate of my power at all. There was another issue I was a little worried about though...

"...could you promise me something first, then?" I asked. She seemed to be caught off-guard by it, and confused, nonetheless, but that only showed on her face for a split second, before boredom took over it.

"Promise...? Too bad for you, I can't guarantee anything, but if it'll make you feel better, I'll try." That response was good enough for me though, and I didn't hesitate to continue.

"Just... don't laugh, okay?" Isuke raised an eyebrow, but was quick to roll her eyes instead, showing a slight smirk.

"Fine, I won't laugh."

I took a deep breath. There wasn't any going back now, anyway.

"My power... it's... Enhanced Hearing."

She laughed.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, I'm going to keep these notes to a minimal for your reading pleasure, but I just wanted to say a few quick things first.**

**I can't believe the amount of attention and feedback I've already gotten for this story! It makes me SUPER DUPER happy to see, trust me. ;v;**

**On another note though, since I've been persuaded of this by you guys, I've decided to make the pairings a bit more prominent and important~ That's all I can say for now though. You'll have to wait and see where this story goes from there~ :P**

**Anyway, that's all I have to say. Don't forget to leave your thoughts and feedback! **

**Catch you all in the next one!**


	3. Chapter 3: Exhilarating

**Chapter 3: Exhilarating**

"You told me you would try, Isuke-sama!"

"I didn't think I would hear something like _that _in response, though!" No matter how much I protested, Isuke just kept laughing at me, speaking through her fit of giggles. Needless to say, I wasn't very impressed.

Even so, the only thing I could do was let out a sigh, and shake my head. It wasn't like it was completely unexpected anyway - that's why I told her not to laugh in the first place. I had suspected it from the beginning, so I had no reason to really felt bad, right?

Those thoughts weren't enough though, and I still, in the end, felt humiliated.

Placing a hand on my hip, I frowned, trying to regain what little shreds of my confidence I had left. After being the victim of Emotion Manipulation _and _being laughed at for honest-to-god stating my power, you can only imagine how powerless I felt.

I was just glad Isuke actually stopped laughing when she did. Any later, and I would have been well immersed in a world of my own thoughts to react quick enough. "You seriously, _honestly, _have Enhanced Hearing?"

I nodded my head.

She scoffed. "Wow, okay then. I'd say I'm sorry for laughing, but..."

"I don't want your lie, Isuke-sama..." I interrupted. I could have sworn a sweat drop fell from my forehead at that point, displaying the amount of nerves and humiliation I truly felt.

"Right, right." she brushed off, still wearing an amused grin. I couldn't help but feel on edge, worried that she might tease me more on that matter. I was extremely relieved when that actually didn't come, however. "So, if you really do have this, so-called 'Enhanced Hearing', why don't you explain it all for me?"

_'She's finally coming to believe me, huh...?' _That thought was, overall, the most relieving thing I had felt all day.

"Explain it...? I can do that." was my casual response, as I took a deep breath. I could successfully say that I was slowly - _slowly _beginning to regain my carefree attitude and confidence with the more I spoke. "It's not that complicated, so..."

"Yes, hurry it up, we don't have all night." I snickered, before I nodded my head.

"I know." And just like that, I begun explaining everything to do with my power. I described what it allowed me to do, my range, the limitations it had, and the positives and negatives about it. The most shocking part of it all though was that, throughout it all, Isuke seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. It was strange, to say the least, but I didn't want to push my luck by questioning it out loud.

"...and, well... that's about all there is to it."

"...I thought you said it wasn't complicated." I blinked, almost stunned by the sudden words of my roommate.

"Huh? I... that's because it isn't."

"And yet, you still took half the night to explain it all, Haruki."

"E-Eh?" Just to make sure what I heard from the other was right, I slowly threw a glance at the clock across the room. While I didn't take up half the night like she said, I did take up an awfully large amount of time, for something that was supposed to be nothing more than a quick explanation. "Oh, you're right." It didn't matter to me though, so I dismissed it. It only meant I had spent more time bonding with my not-so-new roommate - which was a good thing, to be honest.

"All that time wasted, and you _still _haven't demonstrated a single thing to me." She placed a slender hand atop her chest, gazing at me with quite an intimidating pair of eyes. They didn't seem to bug me though, as I shook it off, giving a small laugh.

"Hey, you were the one asking questions, I was just answering them all for you..." I could have sworn that, for a split moment there, her face went pink, just like her hair. Maybe it was just my eyes playing up on me though - I guess some other sense of mine had to make up for my hearing.

"I didn't expect you were going to take _this _long!" she covered up with a huff, flicking a few loose strands of hair behind her shoulder.

"Besides, you never asked me to demonstrate anything... so I didn't. If you had asked earlier, I would have happily-"

"You're wasting Isuke's time~" was what she rudely interrupted with. Pulling a small frown, I muttered a small, 'right' in response, before turning to the clock once more.

"So... do you want me to demonstrate something now, or would you rather go to bed, Isuke-sama?" For some reason, as the words came out of my mouth, they reminded me of those choose-your-own-adventure video games that I had heard about, during my time at this school. Obviously, I'd never played one before - I hadn't even touched a console in my life, but that didn't stop me from making assumptions. "How tired are you?"

"Eh..." My roommate paused to think about her choices, even though to me, it didn't seem like she was actually thinking at all. It looked almost as if her decision was already made before I asked, but I kept quiet about it. "I'm certainly tired of you, for one."

"I wasn't asking about that! I meant, sleep-wise." Deflecting her insult with a proud smile and laugh, I received an unamused glare from the other, and a shake of the head.

"Hmph." Just like that, she turned her head away from me, folding her arms in front of her once more. It was a habit for her to do so, I had noticed. Almost as if she had read my thoughts and became disappointed in my level of attentiveness, she freed one arm, waving it in front of her face in dismissal. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to prove all that to me later." And with those words, she stepped away from her seat and I, and strut her way over to her bed. I couldn't help carelessly following her with my eyes as she left me standing there, blinking.

Before I shrugged, that is, smile widening across my face. "Alright then. If you say so." I brushed off, turning on my heel to follow her lead. "As long as you actually believe me for now... ah, in fact, you don't even have to do that. I'm fine with whatever you settle on."

As I entered the bedroom section of our dorm, I crouched beside the open suitcase on the floor, still containing a number of my belongings. I hadn't yet bothered to scatter them around the room, even after a week had passed. It didn't make too much of a difference where they were, I dismissed, as I began filing through the clothing inside. Because of the sudden shuffling coming from the bag, I didn't have time to mute it as Isuke spoke.

"...why wouldn't I believe you anyway?" was what I heard her say, through a rough sigh, as she stood at the other end of the room. Even with my power and all, the words barely reached me clearly, and I couldn't help but feel I had heard wrong. Blinking, I looked up from the bag and up at my roommate, wearing a curious frown.

"Huh? What was that, Isuke-sama...?" She looked just about as surprised as I did - if not, more so - but only for moment, before her usual scowl took over her face.

"I said, what's there to believe, anyway?" she replied. "You were barely able to hear me just then, and I'm only a few metres away. If you really want Isuke to, at least, cross you off my suspicions list, then you'll have to show me some hard proof later on." Though she spoke with a playful tone, her words were anything but that.

_'I thought she said she didn't have a suspicions list earlier, though... what she said really doesn't make sense. Ah, oh well.' _Even if her words were quite harsh, I dismissed it without another thought, gaze returning to the suitcase before me. "Whatever you say. It's your choice whether or not you want to believe me or not, so I'm not going to complain."

Pulling out a plain T-shirt, and a pair of loose shorts from my suitcase, I placed my clothing aside, before looking back up at my roommate. "Hey, Isuke-sama, you don't mind if I get changed right here, do you? I don't want to make the trip to the bathroom if I'm just going to come back..."

"Eh? I'm not looking anyway. Just make it quick."

"Right!" I was grateful for how casually Isuke answered the question, as there was always the possibility she would be one of _those _people, and get all defensive about me changing right then and there. It was nice to see her acting in a nonchalant way for once though.

Wasting no time, I simply slipped off my cream-coloured jacket, unbuttoning my shirt before taking it off. Before my exposed abdomen could even begin to feel the cold air around me, I pulled my T-shirt over my head, grabbing a hold of my hair to yank the ends out of my collar. Letting out a breath of relaxation, I followed the same process, and changed from a skirt to the comfortable pair of shorts I'd put aside beforehand.

Taking my discarded clothing into my hands once more, I knelt in front of my bag and folded them back inside where they belonged. Before finally retreating from my bag and closing it up, I stretched my arms above my head, and yawned. "I'm done, Isuke-sama." I called out, batting an eyelash in her direction. She still had her back turned towards me though, busy rummaging through her own drawers and clothing.

"Alright." was the response I received. Seeing no point in further waiting around, I kept my hands held behind my head, as I allowed my body to flop onto my bed. I couldn't help but let out a childish giggle at how my body practically bounced off the mattress, before settling. "Ah, these beds really are soft, big and comfy. They're just perfect!" I commented aloud.

Though I obviously couldn't see it, since I was staring up at the ceiling and she wasn't facing me anyway, I could just hear Isuke's raised eyebrow in the tone she used. "Hm? You think so? I was thinking that they're pretty cheap." she spoke, in a harsh tone. My carefree aura seemed to deflect it though, and I rolled my head over to glance at the other girl.

"Well, I wouldn't really know the difference between a great-quality mattress and an okay-quality mattress like you, anyway." I explained with a laugh. "It doesn't make _that_ much of a difference... does it?"

"It depends... if it's enough to cause discomfort, then yes." Turning my head back towards the ceiling, I kept a light smile on my features. Surprisingly enough, my hands weren't getting numb underneath the weight of my skull yet.

"And... do these beds cause discomfort for you?"

"They're - Why are we talking about mattresses, anyway?" Almost as if I had lured her into a trap, Isuke suddenly directed the conversation elsewhere, even though the subject was quite harmless. Oh well. I wasn't about to question her. It was kinda funny, to be honest.

"I don't know. You were the one who brought it up, Isuke-sama." I could hear the shuffling and movements of my roommate as she maneuvered around the room, as I continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"Do you have a case of amnesia as well, on top of your stupidity? You were the one who mentioned beds first." It sounded as if the other was scolding me, but it wasn't enough to actually make a difference and get under my skin.

"You were the one who turned it into a conversation, I just mentioned how I found the beds comfy." Huffing, probably at my logic, Isuke didn't seem very impressed with me at all.

"Whatever. You're still wasting Isuke's time, you know." she pointed out.

"Oh. So I am." I happened to hear her scoffing under her breath at my laid-back words, though it didn't effect my mood in the slightest. "Ah, sorry, sorry. If you can turn off all the lights when you're ready, then we can go to sleep."

Suddenly, without warning, all the lights illuminating our dorm room flickered off, one after another. _'Isuke's really impatient, isn't she...?' _Although it didn't take much to notice such a trait, I took the effort of making a mental note of it.

"Okaaaay, or you can turn them all off now, and we can go to sleep. That works too." I added, with a small laugh. Patiently, I lay on top of my bed, staring at the dimming ceiling as the room was eventually left in complete darkness.

Once the muffled sounds of Isuke's footsteps stopped, and the sound of shuffling blankets and covers replaced it, I knew it was time to head to sleep. Just like the other, I lifted myself off the covers for a moment, tugging them out from underneath me before pulling the blankets up to my chin. An air of warmth immediately began to form around me, and within seconds, I found myself releasing all the stresses that confined me during the day. _'This really is nice, compared to what I've got at home...'_

At home.

It only took those two words to set off a chain of numerous memories in my head, all clashing into me at once. Memories of the family I had living without me at home. Memories of all the pain I went through before leaving for this academy. Memories of the times my siblings acted hesitant around me, or looked at me with frightened eyes, even though I continued to dedicate my life to them...

"My, have you already fallen asleep over there?" Isuke's piercing voice knocked me from my daze. I found myself blinking over and over, leaving my mouth agape in surprise as my thought process shattered completely.

"Huh?"

"Oh, what do you know, you are awake - ah, unless you sleep talk. Then, you really have fallen aslee-"

"I don't sleep talk, Isuke-sama." I reassured, with a small shake of my head. I knew she wasn't looking over anyway, but I couldn't help but express myself.

"...and you're sure?"

"I'm sure." I repeated, through a quiet laugh. In reality though, it wasn't the fact that Isuke's adorable attitude amused me - I was trying my best to do anything but think of those memories again. I had to keep myself distracted, since, well, none of it mattered at that moment. "Come on. Do you really expect that little of me?"

"And if I said yes...?" I rolled my eyes, keeping my smile in check. I wasn't about to show any signs of hesitation to Isuke, after all.

"It wouldn't matter, since I expected as much, anyway. Can't say I don't blame you, either."

"What on earth is that supposed to mean...?" I let out a small laugh, finally starting to feel the happy act that I had put on for the other girl.

"Ah, nothing. Just take it as you please." was my casual response. Isuke sighed in response, rolling away from me in her bed, as the volume of her voice dropped.

"Whatever you say." she began. "You're still wasting my time, you know." At those words, my eyes lit up, almost like I'd forgotten - okay, I had forgotten, but that was besides the point. Correcting my error immediately, I wasted no time in allowing the words to slip from my mouth next.

"Ah, right...! Sorry, sorry." I apologised, before shining a smile towards the other. "I'll stop then, I'll let you have your rest. It's been a long day after all, and I have a feeling tomorrow isn't going to be much easier." I paused, making the room fall into a short silence, before finally concluding. "Anyway. Good night, Isuke-sama."

She sounded so reluctant to reply, just like she did every other night. "...good night, Haruki."

I didn't mind.

. . .

_Meanwhile, in another dorm room..._

Covering my mouth to save my roommate an unsavoury sight - even if she wasn't facing me - I yawned. Amazingly enough, I was already sitting up in my bed, rubbing at my eyes with my other hand as the morning sunlight beamed through the high windows of my dorm room.

_Our dorm room, _I corrected, as I glanced over at the female to my left. There she was, Kenmochi Shiena, all wrapped up in her blanket, looking like a content little child. I couldn't help but smile in amusement at the sight, as I stretched my arms high above my head. While she lay motionless on her bed, I knew she was actually awake, and didn't hesitate to open my mouth and speak to her.

"Shiena-chaaaaaan." I called from across the room, allowing my arms to fall back by my sides. I didn't receive a response, but that didn't mean I was about to give in, right then and there. "Shiena-chan, Shiena-chan, Shiena-chaaaaan!" I merely continued calling her name as I pivoted around on my bed, swinging my legs over the edge of the mattress to face the other. "Shiena-chaaaaa-"

"...how do you know when I'm awake...?" I immediately froze when I heard that muffled grumble from the other girl, eyes wide in surprise. Judging by her sloppy tone, I could tell she hadn't actually been awake too long before me, though it wasn't anything shocking. I giggled to myself.

"I know _eveeerything _about you, Shiena-chan!" I responded, in an all-too-cheerful tone. She simply groaned, and pulled the covers high above her head.

"...yeah, because that's totally not creepy at all..." Did she just call me creepy? How rude, making such assumptions like that!

_'I still haven't told you my secret, and yet you're already calling me creepy...? How strange~!' _With a grin, I dismissed the thought completely and returned to the conversation at hand. Standing from my bed slowly, I let out a deep breath of relaxation before continuing.

"I was only kidding!" I joked, with another giggle. As I looked down and around me, my eyes caught glimpse of something interesting, and I felt my body pause. I blinked, temporarily ceasing my breathing as I stared at the piece of furniture before me. _'This...' _I began, recalling moments that had transpired this previous week. _'Isn't this where Shiena-chan puts...?'_

And just like that, a brilliant idea struck me!

Well, at least, to me it seemed brilliant. I knew that Shiena-chan probably wouldn't appreciate what I was about to do - it would only be amusing to me - but that wasn't enough to stop me from doing it anyway.

Wearing a grin wide across my face, I held in the snickers about to erupt from my chest, as I brushed a strand of purple hair from my face. _'Ah, this'll be a perfect way to introduce myself properly!' _is what I thought, even though we'd already known each other for a whole week now.

"I bet today's going to be so fun after all that fuss from yesterday! I can't wait! Ah, but before that, I'm going to have a shower and get changed, okay Shiena-chan?" What I brought up was quite sudden and dripping with excitement, but that wasn't unusual for me. Shiena seemed to understand that by now, and so she didn't pay it much mind at all.

"Whatever... go ahead, then..."

"But, you have to get up before I come out, _ooookay?" _I cheered, looming over her bed. She didn't seem to notice.

"...yeah, okay, okay... just go and have your damn shower already..." At those words, I suddenly had another brilliant idea, and my face lit up.

"Ah! Wait! Better idea!" I suddenly announced, earning a pained groan from the brunette. "Here, get up now, so we can get ready and go as soon as possible! I don't want to waste any time today, Shiena-chaaaan!" Like usual though, the other girl did not seem as impressed as I did.

"...but why nooooow...?" she moaned from under the covers, seeming to toss about in her bed uncomfortably. I couldn't help myself from staring in amusement, giggling to myself at the sight.

"Because I said so!" That was my vague, totally reasonable response. "It's late enough, come on, come on~!" I wasn't about to give in, and so, I kept cheering her on and on. With the silence I received though, I was quick to realise that mere words were not enough to wake up someone - or rather, they weren't enough to wake up Shiena.

So I took drastic measures instead! ...not really.

"Come oooon, Shiena-chaaan..." I continued, speaking in a hushed tone as I drew closer and closer to her bed. I was really grateful for the fact that she wasn't able to see me from under those blankets - at least, not for long. "Geeet..." Making as little disturbance as I possibly could, I grabbed onto the end of Shiena's blanket. "Up...!" And with that, I forcefully tugged the blanket from her grasp, pulling it high above my head and launching it into the air.

"E-Eeeeek...! O-O-Otoya, _WHY!?" _It seemed my roommate definitely was not pleased with me. Immediately, she had curled up into a ball, hugging her own body, trying to protect herself from the sudden rush of air that replaced her blanket. I really couldn't help but laugh, enjoying every moment of it.

The blanket landed behind me somewhere, on the floor, but I wasn't concerned for it. I was too busying trying to stop myself from giggling, although failing miserably. I must have laughed for a good minute or so before I finally managed to control myself, and my breathing eased.

"Oh, come on, Shiena-chan. You need to get up already! You don't want me to do that to you _again, _do you?" Instantaneously, her tired, panicking eyes met mine.

"O-Okay, okay...! I'll get up, I'll get up...! Just... please don't do that to me ever, _ever again!" _Dismissing her pleas with another laugh, I let out a deep sigh.

"Okay!" was all I gave in response, as I dusted off my hands, almost as if I had taken care of or cleaned up a crime scene.

"...it's f-freezing."

"Hm?" I barely caught her words, too distracted by my own thoughts and suppressed giggles in my chest.

"...I said it's freezing."

"Well, you'd better get changed and clean yourself up quickly then, huh?" Shiena looked very unimpressed with me, almost as if she was glaring at me in her fragile position. I just continued to smile innocently though, unfazed by it all.

"...speaking of which, weren't you going to have a shower, or something?" I blinked.

Oh, I was too!

I had forgotten so quickly, and I felt a little ashamed of myself. After all, since that shower was part of my 'plan' - the one Shiena wouldn't be proud of me for executing - it was an important task. I didn't have time to really think or dwell about it, though. The only thing left to do was actually follow through with my brilliant idea!

And so I did.

Right after that, a huge grin found its way on my face. I turned from the bed, and began lightly skipping towards the bathroom, calling out to my roommate. "Riiiiiight~! I'll do that now then!"

However, I stopped right in my tracks before I actually entered through the door. I quickly threw a glance over my shoulder for good measure, and surely enough, I saw Shiena still curled up on her bed, looking at her own bent knees. She hadn't even lifted her face to look up at me anymore, and so, it was...

_'Perfect!~' _I repeated once more, struggling to keep in my laughter.

Then, just as I had planned, I twisted the door knob open slowly, and opened the door slightly. I left it open for a few seconds. Since Shiena wasn't looking, and I didn't actually need to go to the bathroom yet, I needed to make it sound like I had entered the room. That's why I soon closed the door again, letting the knob click, and signal that I had 'gone into the room.'

When really, I was still standing right there, in front of the door.

_'Ah, this reaction is going to be priceless!'_

As the words flashed through my head, I felt nothing but excitement and pure joy begin to pulse through my veins. Without wasting any more precious seconds of my time, I activated my power. Starting from my feet, my body gradiented transparent in the blink of an eye, causing me to blend in with my surroundings without being detectable. Seeing as this was my first time using said power during my time at Myojo Academy, I had to use all my will to hold back my giggles.

That was my power. The all too well-known, cliché, Invisibility.

And yet, no matter how many fantasy novels or movies there were based off of it, none of them could truly portray or describe how exhilarating it was to actually possess such an ability.

I felt like an evil mastermind!

Anyway, speaking of evil masterminds, I had to get on with my brilliant idea.

Tip-toeing towards my roommate (because, unfortunately enough, having invisibility didn't stop myself from generating sound) with a sly grin, I slowly came to approach, standing in between her bed and mine. I watched in silence as she reluctantly sat up from her comfortable position, groaning while she rubbed her tired eyes, blinking them in an attempt to wake them.

I had to bite my bottom lip to properly conceal my laughter. _'Eeh~! She really is adorable when she's so defenceless, teehee!' _But no, spying on Shiena was not my so-called 'brilliant idea', though. It was something much more menacing... and quite mean, but I didn't care.

Even though I knew that if I activated my power for too long, it would eventually fizzle out and have to 'recharge', I did nothing but wait for the perfect moment, before finally acting. It took roughly 5 minutes of standing around or so, until my victim - err, roommate - actually began following along with my scheme.

Heart almost leaping out of my chest, I moved well out of the way as the brunette threw her legs over the side of the bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress, just like I had earlier. Then, with anticipating eyes, I watched her slooowly, sloooooowly reach over towards the drawers separating our two beds.

I allowed her to pull open the first draw, revealing the three pairs of glasses that she kept. Due to a little... accident, on the second day we transferred here, Shiena made sure to keep them away from the top of drawer itself, placing them inside it instead. That was besides the point, though.

Finally able to contain myself, I eyed her as she picked up one of the cases inside, pulling it closer to her as she snapped it open. It was then, at that moment when the glasses inside finally revealed themselves, that I deemed it time to strike!

Positioning myself in front of Shiena, I was careful not to knock the rest of the case as I carefully, yet swiftly lifted the glasses from the case just as she reached to pick them up. Let's just say her reaction to seeing a pair of floating glasses in the air was _definitely _priceless - and not to mention, fulfilling.

Her eyes became dinner plates, wide and round as she stared in utter disbelief, blinking over and over. "H-Huuuuuh?!" she squealed. "W-W-Wh..." She held her tongue though, immediately feeling embarrassed after letting out such a noise as she stared at the pair of glasses.

Meanwhile, I was trying my best not to choke myself from holding in my laughter. My tongue, which I was biting onto to do so, was beginning to really ache.

Shiena rubbed her eyes with her free hand, almost as if to make sure she wasn't still asleep. Surely enough, after about thirty seconds or so of that useless action, her face contorted, and she soon looked determined as she glared at the glasses. "Must be... my eyes playing tricks on me, or something." she muttered under her breath.

Giving an almost prideful pout, she reached out towards the glasses I held. But, I had no intention of letting her actually reach them. I only pulled them back an inch or so further, making it seem like it was bouncing out of her grasp.

She growled under her breath, growing frustrated more than anything at my actions. She continued to swipe and swipe for her glasses, but as the stinging in my mouth grew, I only continued to make them bounce out of her grasp. Just to rub it in her face, whenever she wasn't helplessly thrusting her arms for the glasses, I waved them in front of her face. Mockingly.

"O-Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on!?" she yelled, in an almost demanding tone. Gritting her teeth together, she looked about as frustrated as ever, still holding onto her empty case. "This is ridiculous...! How in the hell is this even..." But she stopped there, trailing out as she looked around the dorm room for answers.

Then, she did something unexpected.

At the first word that left her mouth again, I paused, though making sure to keep the glasses shaking in my hands. "Otoya...! Oi! I know you're busy in there but this is really important, _you might want to see it! Please...! _Otoya!" It only took a few moments for me to collect myself.

And instead of a surprised expression, I wore a content one, face complete with a dusty, pink blush. I couldn't hold it in any more.

Glasses still firmly in hand, I made my way around Shiena's bed, joining behind her on the mattress as I messily placed the glasses on her face - it was difficult, since she was in front of me, but at least I tried. In the end, it sat pretty straight on her face, anyway. "Aww, you're just too adorable, Shiena-chaaaan!" I cooed, before erupting into a non-stop fit of laughter, and cancelling my power. Just as I became visible once more, I wrapped an arm around her neck, strapping her into a light headlock as I held her close.

Shiena was definitely not impressed.

Immediately, she turned her head (to the best of her ability at least, you can't do much in a headlock) to gaze at me. Her eyebrows were furrowed intensely on her forehead, creating a crease with how closely they were pressed together, as she stared and struggled in my grip, wearing a furious expression.

"O-Otoya!? When did... How did you even...!" But her loud questions were left hanging as I pulled her closer to me, pressing my cheek up against the back of her head. I ignored all the protests and squirming that came from my roommate, as I let out a content sigh, finally able to control my laughter.

"It was just a silly joke, teehee~!" I reasoned, though it only seemed to agitate the other further.

"A-A silly joke?" she repeated. "You _know _don't appreciate you messing with me, Otoya." Her tone suddenly became quite strict and stern, almost as if she felt hurt by my actions. But, I paid it no mind, as the smile on my face deepened.

"Oh, come on, Shiena-chan!~ Take it easy! You can't say that wasn't pretty fun!" Somehow, I don't think she agreed with me at all, but as she struggled in my grip further, I knew her playful attitude had returned at least. No more serious Shiena, apparently.

"T-That wasn't fun at all...! How can you call something like _that _fun!? That was just so... so...!"

"So amazing?"

"So amazing...! Wait, what? _No! It wasn't amazing at all!" _Unable to stop myself, I giggled once more, wrapping my other arm around her to grip her in a hug from behind.

"But you just said it yourself!"

_"That's because you confused me...! That _hardly _counts...!" _With the further my smile stretched, the more my face began to ache. I never though that too much happiness would be a bad thing, but I sure was thinking that then.

"Whatever you say, Shiena-chan." I finished, putting my playful mood aside as I slowly slid away, releasing my grip on the other girl. I backed off of her bed, standing on the ground right beside it, as she turned in her seat to face me, cross-legged. She adjusted her glasses before speaking in a more level, nonchalant tone.

"All that aside though, how did... how did you even..."

"How did I do that?"

"Y-Yeah... I mean, I know it was your power, but..."

"One word: Invisibility, silly!~" I announced, beaming with my hands on my hips. I froze for a moment after the words left me though, blinking. "Oh, wait, that was two words..." was what I realised in disappointment.

"Yeah, I was going to say..."

"Oh well!" I interrupted, in a carefree tone. She shook her head at me, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. She looked kinda like a lost puppy, seeing it's owner pass-by on the street, just staring off in confusion.

"Um, is that... all to it? Your power, I mean." I tilted my head to the side, humming as I pondered on my response.

"...well, it's not as simple as just that, obviously. I can explain it if you want me to!" I offered, wide-eyed in interest. For once, I was actually pleasing my roommate with what I had to say - it was an amazing feeling!

"Sure, go ahead..." she responded, with a nod of her head.

"Interested in other people's powers, are you~? Ah, or is it just mine that you have a fascination for?"

"Don't get your hopes up idiot, it was the former." I lowered my head in disappointment.

"Aww, okay then..." I put on a childish pout, pressing the tips of my index fingers together as I glanced to the side. I really did get my hopes up too much, in that short amount of time, didn't I?

"Anyway, your explanation...?" Huh...?

Oh, right! Explanation! I was meant to be getting to that!

Face brightening once more as I met my roommate's gaze, I pushed my fringe out of my face before continuing. "Ah, right, right! Explanation!" I began. I cleared my throat, puffing out my chest, just for the dramatic effect. Then, I put up one finger, signalling the number one on my hand. "Okay, so first off, you already know what Invisibility is, right?"

She nodded her head, face straight in understanding. "Well, that saves a lot of trouble! Anyway, my power has a battery life, pretty much. So, if I use it for too long, it stops working! Without warning, I'll be visible again~!" I explained, waving my arms beside me to emphasise my point. While I could tell she didn't appreciate these gestures as much, she was nodding along, following with what I had to say.

"Right..."

"Yeah~! And, and, with what I did with your glasses, it was really simple. Anything I touch after activating my power will stay visible, but anything I touch before I activate it will become invisible! Get it?" She nodded her head again, eyes bright as if everything suddenly clicked in her mind. "So, there you have it! I just had to pick up your glasses and wave them around in your face to make you react like that, haha~!"

As I continued though, Shiena only grew more frustrated with me. Soon, she was scowling at me, hands held in tight fists. "Hey, that wasn't funny...!" she yelled. "While we're on the subject then, how can I trust you not to peak on me when _I'm _in the bathroom, or something? Since I'll never know where you are..."

I gave a small thumbs up towards her, nodding my head. "No need to worry! I'll make a 100% genuine promise right here, right now, that I'll neeeeever do anything terrible like that to you, ever!" She seemed to really doubt me, as it took her a moment to actually reply to me.

"...are you sure?" she cautiously asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I couldn't help taking a few steps closer to her, smiling wide to prove my point as I stretched my pinky out to her.

"I'm sure. After this though, we should probably head out to the cafeteria to meet up with the others." Shiena eyed me suspiciously, before finally easing at my reassuring tone, letting out a deep breath. Then, she intertwined pinkys with me, and I looked her straight in the eyes. "I promise, Shiena-chan."

She seemed to ease at those words quite a bit.

Pulling away from the loose grasp we had on each other, the brunette finally turned and stood up from her bed, yawning quietly. "Fine... I'll go and get changed now, then..." She sounded almost reluctant at that point, as she dragged herself over to the bathroom, carrying a small pile of clothes. "Wait here, okay?"

I nodded my head. "Okay! I did promise, after all~!"

"...right."

I had to really bite my tongue to hold in my laughter.

My fingers were still crossed behind my back.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, I just wanted to say, I'm really grateful for all the attention and feedback this has gotten already! You guys are really awesome~! ^.^**

**You know the usual drill, though. Don't hesitate to leave your thoughts down below~**

**I'll see you in the next one!**


	4. Chapter 4: Really Unlucky

**Chapter 4: Really Unlucky**

_"I'll meet you there, Haruki." _

Those were the words my roommate had left me with, before pushing me out of the door, and leaving me stunned in the middle of the corridor. I mean, sure, it wasn't exactly surprising, but with the suddenness of it all, it did leave me quite dazed.

It took me a moment to actually gather myself, and cease my clueless blinking as I looked around at my surroundings. I was standing right outside my dorm room's door, looking about like a goldfish at the corridor around me. I was supposed to be heading to the cafeteria - that was something I knew for sure, at least.

It had become somewhat of a daily routine for everybody in the class to meet up there, every single morning before school really started. It was how we determined who was skipping out on class or sick before we actually got to the classroom itself. After bell would ring for home room, everyone could leave together.

_'Well.' _I began. _'I guess if she's going to meet me there, then I'd better head to the cafeteria already.'_

. . .

It seems that even then, when I reached the cafeteria and continued waiting and waiting, I had high hopes. _Too _high.

"Eh? Haruki-san?" Nio's curious voice reached my ears from the front of the cafeteria. The room was empty, save for the 12 students of Class Black, all gathered inside - minus one, of course. "You share rooms with her, right? Didn't Isuke-san follow you here?"

Pulling a small frown, I pivoted in my seat, taking my eyes off the rice bowl that I was eating out of. I cleared my throat before swallowing, and speaking in response. "Well, yeah, I do, but... see, she kinda kicked me out this morning while she was getting ready. She said 'meet me here' or something, but that was all she told me before slamming the door in my face." I explained, before picking up my chopsticks again. _'Food first, conversation second.' _I repeated in my head.

"How helpful..." The other brushed off with a clumsy smile, before shaking it off, raising her tone to address the entire class. "Ah, should we wait for her, or should we commence already...?" Everyone seemed to ignore the inital point of her question, and directed their curiosity towards the concluding part of her words.

"Commence what, exactly?" Sumireko voiced, probably stealing the words right from everyone's mouths. Excluding mine, of course. There were no words in there. Just food. Plain, good, delicious food.

As if startled by the lack of understanding from the rest of her classmates, Nio blinked, pausing to wear a frown. "Eh...? What do you mean by - oh! that's right, I haven't explained it yet! Oops!" she brushed off, with a light-hearted laugh. Grin on her face returning, she placed her hands on her hips as she raised her tone. "I meant, this information meeting. I've got news for all of you to hear, and now's the only time to deliver that."

The cafeteria fell silent, save for the metallic sound of utensils clinging together, echoing about. I wasn't sure if it was because of my hearing abilities, or if everyone was making that much noise while eating, for once. Usually, it would be easy to tell, but with a suddenly harsh atmosphere, it was hard to tell anything of the sort. Just to make sure, and keep myself from feeling any embarrassment, I quieted my chewing, slowing my pace considerably.

"Anyway, none of you actually answered my question..." Nio's voice only continued on through the silence, almost as if she was oblivious to it actually existing in the first place.

"Go ahead and commence this, 'information meeting' of your's then. Nothing - or rather, no one's stopping you." As soon as I began eating at a regular pace, believing no one would speak back up to her anytime soon, a familiar voice resounded from behind me, filling the cafeteria with a collective sense of surprise. Everyone's faces seem to light up, though the amount of which they did so varied from person to person. Even though I couldn't see it, I was sure mine lit up the brightest.

"Isuke-sama?" I had to swallow down my food before allowing the name to slip out of my mouth, as I turned my head around to see my roommate at the entrance. She was leaning up against the frame of the doorway with one arm placed above her head, making it seem as if she was a high authority walking in on us.

"Ah, nice to see you've finally arrived, Isuke-san." was how Nio greeted the pink-haired newcomer. My eyes instinctively followed her as she strutted into the room, taking a seat at the other end of the table I sat at. As soon as she did so, I shrugged, eyeing my food and continuing to eat once more.

"Nice to see you were all waiting for me." she responded. If this were any normal situation, this would have been the point where the rest of the room erupted into chatter and conversation, but since this was far from it, everyone kept silent. With the curiosity of the words, 'information meeting' weighing down on everyone, I wasn't really surprised, either.

"But, now that's everyone's here..."

"...you can continue with your 'information meeting', then." Nio was only allowed to speak for a short while, before Tokaku harshly cut in, hurrying up the pace of this conversation. I barely managed to catch sight of her across the room, picking up the spoon that sat beside her plate of curry, right after speaking.

_'Someone seems awfully eager to eat as well.' _I noted with an amused smile. _'Even though she seems to have curry every single day...'_

"Right, right!" Nio hadn't felt blown by an interruption at all, and merely continued with an innocent, cat-like face. "If I could have everyone's attention, _please." _

That additional word on the end of her sentence happened to, for some reason, actually catch everyone's attention. It was probably the underlying, firm tone that she used that snapped everyone's eyes her way, like some sort of ability.

_'An ability to capture everyone's attention...?' _I only pondered on it for a split moment, pausing my chewing before shaking my head. _'...nah. Even if it seems useful for someone like her, it just doesn't... sit right. She would have used it earlier if that were the case.' _To be honest, I wasn't that interested in learning everyone's powers anyway, and paid the thought no more attention.

Seeing as she was one of the shorter girls, it wasn't long before the blonde realised her small problem, and climbed to stand on top of one of the cafeteria tables to solve it. "There. Now that everybody can see _and _hear me clearly..." she began with a triumphant tone, voice beginning to lower and drip with formality. "I'll begin."

No one in this room was patient, it seemed. "We don't have time to waste, or moments worth being toyed in. What is it you want to tell us? I can only assume it has something to do with the news we received yesterday." I wasn't looking over at the other table to confirm it, but I could definitely match the voice to that of Kaminaga Kouko.

"Eh? You're not even willing to wait a few seconds before I get to that...? That's a little rude." Nio complained, still wearing that same smile. Kouko didn't seem to mind the words at all, grumbling a little under her breath, as the blonde continued. "But, yes, like you said, it does have something - no, it's all _about _yesterday."

Hearing those words, loud and clear, I stopped. With a blink of my eyes, I wiped my mind clean and stared up at my classmate with serious eyes. _'About yesterday.' _The words repeated in my head. My heart pounded in response to them, triggering a layer of sweat to cover my palms. I was definitely not looking forward to what she had to say, but I wasn't about to lie and say I wasn't interested. Whatever it was, I was sure that I needed to hear it. I felt so sure that, out of everyone in the room, _I _was the one who needed to hear it the most.

Needless to say, I didn't speak a single word. No one did.

No one did anything except for listen to what Nio had to say.

Seeming to grow a superior aura, the blonde's grin widened and her gaze narrowed. She'd reeled everyone in, all she needed to do was follow along with her plan. Looking more suspicious and sly than anything I've ever seen before, she laughed.

"I have everyone's attention for real now, do I?" was the rhetorical question that followed, before she shook her head, easing her chest. "Good to see. I can finally move onto the important stuff now, then."

I sat on the edge of my seat, frown sitting upon my face as my body stilled. I waited.

"...now! Before anything else happens and chaos ensues, I've put a few rules into place that we all need to be aware of. I know full well that following rules seems like nothing but a big hassle - but trust me, it's for _your _safety."

No matter how unreliable she seemed, we had nothing else to believe. No one in the room even questioned her out loud. She continued. "First thing's first, you'd better not forget this. When one of you believes your suspicions on someone are correct, and you want to go in for the kill, we can call this 'assassination attempts.' Feel free to take an assassination attempt any time you want, and use as many as you want! It doesn't matter if you fail or succeed, or how many people are wrongly taken out during this process - the human must be eliminated at all costs, and that's that. Think of this class as a survival colosseum, if you may. Everyone's on their own, and you can trust no one!"

She paused, letting the reality of her words sink in.

Any of us could die at any moment, really.

"Oh, and if you so choose, you may team up with another person, or even gang up on one target. Like I said, as long as the job's done in the end, nothing else matters. Not the method you use, or who pulls it off with you, or when you do it - although we all know for our own sakes, the sooner it is, the better."

I was surprised no one hadn't interrupted yet.

"So really, there are only a few small rules you need to follow. You're free to do as you choose for the most part." Nio stopped again, letting her fierce eyes gaze down across the rest of us down below. She looked just like a predator from above, choosing which of us prey to feast on first. "Oh, but there is one other thing. One rule that _must not _be broken."

I furrowed my eyebrows at the words, resting my elbows on my knees as I leaned forward in my chair. I was careful not to budge my food or hit the table with any part of me as I did so. _'I feel like don't know what she's going on about, and yet, I understand every word of it...'_

She put up one finger, holding it up in the air to signal a number one. "Before any assassination attempt is carried out, it must be put through me." I could just hear the sudden eruption of confusion and offended attitudes in the murmurs that came from the room. I felt no such feelings however, deciding to wait until Nio explained herself.

Waving her arms in front of her chest to settle everyone down, she raised her voice again. "Hey, settle down you guys, I haven't even explained what that means yet, or why I'm making you do so." Despite her best attempts, no such calm conclusion was reached. I swore for a moment there, I saw a flicker of annoyance spark in her sharp eyes.

She gave a sigh, before resorting to another tactic to hush the room.

Let's just say she cleared her throat before doing so - and I'm surprised a simple clear of the throat was enough preparation for it.

_"Oi, I'm not done yet, so everyone shut up, okay?!" _Even with my hearing set to a normal, human range, Nio's venomous voice rung in them, echoing about the cafeteria's walls.

The room immediately fell silent.

At least it worked.

Letting out a disappointed breath of air, Nio shook her head, smile still somehow on her face as she continued speaking, almost as if she hadn't done that in the first place. "Now." she began once more, proudly puffing out her chest. "Before assassinations are carried out, one must come to me and report it. This is to ensure that, if an attempt does result in a death, I can be of assistance immediately and clear up the scene for you. We don't want any other humans at this school, or staff catching wind of what we're doing - so, the promise I make to you is that. Tell me when you're about to try, I won't tell another soul about it, and I'll clean it up for you. Pretty fair deal for you guys, if you ask me."

_Rules. Assassination. Death. Clean up. Scene. _

All of the words spun about in my head, swirling and swirling as my heart pounded. _'This is real.' _I repeated to myself. _'This... this really is all, well and truly real.' _I could hear a buzzing in my ears, and although I didn't know where it was coming from, I didn't care. _'This is all seriously going to happen. I'm going to be part of this colosseum of death, whether I want to or not.' _

Though disbelief had long worn off, I still wasn't able to get over those words.

_'And, if worse comes to worse... I could end up killing someone.'_

I could end up killing someone.

Before I could even think about reacting to the weight of those words, the silent atmosphere around me altered dramatically.

"W-Wait!" To me, the voice sounded almost unfamiliar. My eyes were fixated on the blonde, standing taller than the rest, when a high-pitched one called out from the crowd. "Nio-san... wait..." Compared to before, the girl's tone was much weaker, sounding almost in defeat already.

_'Who is... speaking?' _I still couldn't quite match that childish tone to a face.

"Haru-chan? What is it...?" My body eased at those words, knowing that the pig-tailed girl across the room was speaking up.

"I, um, it's just..." She sounded ridden with nerves by this point, barely able to keep her voice steady enough to hold a firm pitch. I could only imagine her panicking expression, and her fists tightened in front of her chest, as if it were the only things keeping her together. "...you've been running your lips for a while now, but... ah, a-and I don't doubt any of it! I just wanted to..." The girl trailed off, sentences becoming scrambled, and making little to no sense together. "...you make it seem like more than one of us is going to be... killed... but if there's only one human here, then shouldn't only one of us be... in danger?"

It was clear that out of everyone else in the room, Haru was one of the girls who wasn't taking the news well. She was one of the most uncomfortable with the situation - though no one had the sympathy to bother caring or speaking up about it.

"Eh? Is that really what you expect?" Nio responded, as nonchalant as she would get. "This is like a big game or trial-and-error; a battle arena, a game of elimination. We can't narrow down our suspicions if we don't risk our lives, now can we?"

While Haru seemed to back off, the blonde's words sparked a flame in someone else, who didn't even think about holding their tongue. "Besides all that, how do we know when the human's been eliminated for sure, anyway? If they've wormed their way in here and fooled us all this time, and blended in just like that, how are we supposed to know when they're gone?" Tokaku's cold tone was brushed off with a shake of Nio's head, fierceness of her words bouncing right off of the shorter girl.

"I told you that I have connections to high authority at this school, didn't I? Behind the scenes, at this very moment, they're working on beefing up the entrance exam we all had to go through. After each week, I've heard they're going to put us through one, and if anyone's results vary from their original exam result, then that'll indicate that the human is still present."

"If that's the case, then couldn't that exam pinpoint the human among us on it's own? This colosseum is useless." Sumireko voiced. While she raised a good point, Nio didn't seem to take a blow at all, seeming all too confident in herself and her logic.

"We're not supposed to know that there's a human in our class, remember? The exams are taking anonymously, so as to not raise suspicion. It's like an investigation for them. Really, we're just making their job easier, even though we're the ones who'll receive benefits." Though her expression didn't want to admit it, the orange-haired girl backed off in defeat, pulling a frown.

"Speaking of benefits, does the person who successfully eliminates the human get anything in return, besides just a load of praise...?" Suzu asked. For once, I could actually see who was speaking, since she was also sitting at my table.

And for some reason, those words triggered something in Nio that I never thought I would see.

A shadow fell over her face due to the lighting and the way she tilted her head towards the floor, making the only part of her face visible her smirk. With all of her sharp teeth baring, it stretched across her from ear to ear. Besides the nerve-inducing, slow laughter that filled her chest and pushed it in up and down in an erratic rhythm, her body just stood there, limp and motionless. She looked like a lifeless mannequin, and the dull words that followed were being played mechanically through speakers.

"Oh, they'll get something in turn, alright..." she muttered. The amount of breath in her words was plain nerve-inducing.

"Spit it out, then. We don't have all morning." With a glance, I even caught Isuke raising a concerned eyebrow as she spoke, glaring daggers at the girl at the front of the room. Nio's dark laughter only continued, despite the growing annoyance of many.

"...you'll get a PA." I blinked. I'm sure everyone else did too, although not in sync. _A P.A?_

"...what the hell is a PA?" Tokaku questioned, surely taking the question on everyone's minds. Just as suddenly as her demeanour had come, Nio's head flicked up towards the bluenette, and her easy aura had returned, leaving the dark one behind.

"It stands for, 'Power Advancement.' " she explained, though that really didn't explain anything. thankfully enough, she hadn't finished. "The successful 'assassin' will receive a Power Advancement, courtesy of Myojo Private Academy's one and only deformity expert, Mizorogi Ataru-sensei. He's had the ability to give any one person here a PA from the beginning, but has had no reason to. However, using my persuasion, I can make sure that the successful party will receive it."

"That still doesn't explain what a PA actually is." I pointed out, speaking up for the first time since this meeting started. Nio shot me a quick glance, before looking out amongst the rest of us once more.

"Right, right. A Power Advancement... ah, it's what anyone in this room could possibly desire. It allows the user's power to be 'upgraded', in a sense, to another, more practical level. For example, most powers' limitations would be erased as a result of this. If a power requires a radius of effect, this will be completely destroyed, and the poewr may be extended to give the user more effects at their disposal. And, also, the most important factor..." As if trying to pull us all off our seats in curiosity, Nio dragged on, pretending to think on the spot. My teeth were clenching together tight enough at the thought of an extended ability, but now that I had to be patient, they were practically grinding against each other and slowly wearing away.

"...a PA gives someone the permission to publically use their ability whenever they wish, on whoever they wish, wherever they wish to use it. So, a PA is basically a one-way ticket to deformity freedom."

_Deformity freedom._

Nio really knew how to rope people in and gather their interest, because I was certain that if she had phrased it any other way, I wouldn't have been feeling as determined as I did. I wouldn't have been staring wide-eyed at the blonde, feeling all signs of shock and bravery swirl in my stomach.

I wouldn't have been willing to kill.

"...and that, everybody, concludes today's information meeting." The words that came were so sudden, so unexpected, and yet, so light-hearted and gentle that it didn't feel surprising at all. I didn't feel a hint of confusion, disappointment, or anything else of the sort. Instead, I felt calm. Collected. Ready.

I wasn't sure if it was my hearing being altered to a slightly inhuman level, or if it was just natural for anyone to catch it, but the first signs of unease only settled in when I managed to hear what Nio muttered under her breath next. "...for the rest of it, you'll all have to wait until this afternoon."

And with those final words, she jumped from the table.

. . .

The bell had finally rung, signalling the end of the day. The sun was still burning bright outside the classroom window.

To be completely honest, I hadn't been thinking about the events of the information meeting that morning in the slightest, despite how much information was told and how significant it all was, so when an unfamiliar noise blared through the speakers, I was caught off-guard.

A screeching, broken microphone sound squeezed it's way through the speakers, ringing in my all-too-sensitive ears and it's noise filled the room. Eyes shutting, I winced a loud, immediately covering my ears with my hand and muting all sounds out completely, at the same time. After a single moment, I peered open an eye, and looked around the room. A few of the girls had done the same as I, covering their ears, although I didn't necessarily need to.

In an instant, the others eased, and hands fell from ears. Seeing this, I could only assume that the noise had ceased, and I returned to a normal sized earshot. My hands fell back onto my lap as a buzzing returned in my hearing. Alongside that though, someone else's voice was talking to us through the speakers, just like any other announcement usually would.

_"Hello, hello? Is this thing working now...? Ah, sorry about that awful noise! Hopefully I haven't made any of you deaf by doing that!" _The whimsical, female voice that spoke sounded awfully familiar to me. The person's face was slowly forming in my mind, pieces beginning to fall into place as I listened to the rest of the announcement.

_'It's not a staff member for sure. I doubt they'd make the stupid mistake of causing that eerie sound.' _I deduced. Since a few girls had already left the room once the bell rang, it was quite possible that it was another classmate of mine, who somehow managed to gain a hold of the microphone responsible for delivering announcements.

_"Anyway, Class Black, you'd better be listening to this, alright? This is important. All of you - every single one of you, head over to the gymnasium hall immediately! I repeat, everybody head over to the gymnasium hall right now, or suffer punishment! You might wanna hear this, so I'd come on over as soon as possible." _

Once their message was over, and the speakers made sounds no more, I frowned.

"...Nio." I muttered under my breath, clenching my hands on the desk in front of me. I was definite that was who it was behind all this. She would be the only one to say such a mysterious thing, anyway. I couldn't help but sigh, finally wearing a small smile. "Well, it's not like we have a choice. I'd better head on over, then..."

But, just as I rose from my desk, I paused.

Eyes widened, I remembered something from earlier on, and suddenly, everything seemed to connect and make sense.

"...'for the rest of it, you'll all have to wait until this afternoon'..." I repeated the words that Nio had said earlier, feeling goosebumps run up and down my body. I couldn't shake the terrible sense of dread that overcame me, nor could I ignore it. However, even with its harsh grip on me, I wasn't about to ever embrace that feeling.

Running a frustrated hand through the middle section of my fringe, I shook my head in denial. "...this can't be anything good, can it?" It was only then I realised how strange it was to be talking to myself, especially when other people were in the room. Though they were slowly filing out of the classroom, gradually emptying the room, there was no guarantee that none of them were listening.

Shutting my mouth, I tucked my chair into my desk, and forwarded out of the classroom, head held high. Even though I didn't feel a shred of confidence, I still wore a smile.

. . .

It was only minutes later when I, along with everyone else in Class Black, had finally gathered in the gymnasium hall, like instructed. Waiting for us there was, just like I'd expected, Nio Hashiri. With the doors firmly locked for a reason unknown to us, and everyone standing in on the stage in a crowd-like fashion, we waited.

"Ah, welcome everyone! Nice to see my announcement actually worked, and each of you did, indeed, turn up." the blonde welcomed, using the announcing tone that she had all morning. I wasn't sure why, but I felt my patience running thin, even though we had just gathered. Everything had only just begun, and I already felt myself growing sick of it.

"What have you got for us now, Nio-san...?" I questioned, though my low patience wasn't detectable. My tone sounded genuine, as it always did, as I waited with a hand on my hip.

She seemed amused, and let out a small laugh. Holding onto her red tablet with one hand, she waved her vacant hand in front of her in dismissal. "It's nothing big, nothing small. Nothing insignificant, but nothing too important... ah, just kidding, it's actually pretty important, so listen up." Nio corrected herself before I had a chance to ask about it, thankfully enough. She didn't look like she was going to waste time - another thing I was thankful for.

"Now. I wouldn't quite call this an 'information meeting', since I won't be talking for long. I merely have to state something that I neglected to mention this morning..." she continued, voice lingering in the echo-prone hall.

"You neglected to tell us something?" Shiena questioned. Her straight-forward, serious expression matched that of what everyone else was wearing, except for me. Not a single smile was present on the stage, save for Nio's smirk. In comparison to everyone else, I was just curious and ready to listen, nothing more.

"That's correct!" she announced, as if it were some kind of achievement. She gave a small, teasing thumbs up. "That's something I did on purpose, since, well, we didn't have enough time."

"But I'm sure that this morning, there were several minutes before class had to begin, even after you stopped talking." Chitaru pointed out. It was one of the few times I'd heard her speak up, actually, since she often refused to do so unless she was spoken to. No one really paid it much attention besides her blue-haired companion, who gave an almost proud smile her way.

"Yes, well, you see... a few minutes wouldn't have been enough time." Nio responded, though it didn't seem to satisfy anyone in the room.

"A few minutes wouldn't have been enough? If you really just need to state something, then why is that so...?" was what Sumireko pointed out, hands clasped together in front of her. She raised her eyebrow in suspicion, though the rest of her face bore no emotion whatsoever.

Nio's grin stretched further across her face. It really was difficult to pinpoint exactly what the girl was thinking. "I said that was all _I _needed to do. I never specified what it was _you _all had to do..." And at those words, everything made sense, but at the same time, everything became confusing. It was a difficult feeling to explain.

"...huh?" I muttered, taking the silence from the room. "What could you possibly want _us _to do?"

"If you'd just listen, then I could get onto that." Nio replied, tucking her tablet underneath her arm. Holding it like one would casually hold a clipboard, she continued, placing an arm open out beside her. "This morning, I didn't mention this very important fact." She raised her voice once more, causing it to rebound off every wall in the room, and return to our ears.

"To speed things up and push forth our investigation, we'll follow this strict routine. While earlier I did say that assassination attempts may be carried out whenever you please, I don't plan on going back on those words. However, if three days pass without any attempt being carried out, at the end of the third day, we'll all be required to assemble here. Like I mentioned earlier, if anyone fails to do so, they'll be _punished." _

Sensing the serious tone, I didn't bother questioning the other on her words. That didn't mean everyone had the same thought as I though, and surely enough, someone spoke up about it.

"Punished...? What's that supposed to mean, exactly?" It was my roommate, Isuke, ironically. I wasn't about to blame her for questioning it, though.

"Punished." The blonde repeated, in the same, nonchalant tone. "As in, the next time we see you, you'll be personally executed by me, in the slowest way possible." The only frightening thing about her words was the fact that she stated that all with a childish smile.

Muttering a small, "right" under her breath, Isuke dismissed her words. Whether that meant she didn't believe Nio or if she took the answer genuinely, I had no idea. It wasn't long before the other continued though, clearly using up the time we had wisely.

"Anyways." she snapped, placing her empty hand on her hip. "Once we've all gathered here, this room won't be a hall any longer - we'll turn it into a live-action, life or death battle arena." I felt my heart sink into my chest. I could have sworn it sunk right into the rest of my body and ceased beating, because I seriously felt that weak in the chest.

_A battle arena? What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

Knowing Nio though, I could only assume that she would explain herself right after.

And she did. Just not quick enough to stop myself from feeling that overwhelming sense of ultimate dread.

"Every time we assemble here, I'll pick two of you at random." She held up her tablet in the air, before bringing it down before her and tapping away at the screen, occasionally looking up towards us. "And, like that, those two people will have to duel - no exceptions about it. While you're able to forfeit as soon as the match begins, no one is allowed to drop out before then. Whoever's chosen is chosen, and there's no swapping or other way about it."

The more I heard come from her mouth, the greater the state of disbelief I found myself in. _What? She was going to make us fight each other, at random, just like that? _It was a little hard to take in, especially after it being suddenly sprung on us, like that.

Unfortunately though, she wasn't finished speaking yet. Her smile only widened - which was a sure-fire sign of her amusement, and more words to come.

"The match will end as soon as someone forfeits, _or if someone is killed." _I'm pretty sure the silence surrounding us fit the thick atmosphere well. Even my breathing had unconsciously ceased as I stared, wide-eyed, waiting. Waiting for someone to call out and say how this was a joke. Waiting for relief to come. Waiting for something, anything - just something more.

"..._and that's all I have to say." _

But there was nothing. Nothing more to grasp onto. Nothing else left to believe.

Except for all of that.

Worry beginning to gnaw at my sense of logic, I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows. My fists were already clenched by my sides, though I had no idea on at what point they had done that. My eyes were restless, and kept darting from Nio, to the rest of the girls, and to the floor in a constant cycle. It was the only way I could contain myself, really. I was too uneasy to sit still.

"...that's... it?" I murmured. "That's all you have to say...?" The first thing I received was another side glance, and a grin from the blonde girl, as she finally looked up from her tablet.

"...I _did _say I only had to say one thing, didn't I?" her dark voice explained. "Besides, I don't want to repeat myself. You all still have a role to play today."

_'We have a role to play...?' _I decided to shut my mouth, and used my head instead. _'What's that supposed to mean...? Can't she speak straightforward for once, and make her phrases easier to understand...?' _

Just as I opened my mouth again to let out an exhausted sigh, my breath got caught in my throat.

My eyes widened.

_Oh._

I could even feel everyone's gazes burning holes in the back of my head, wondering what I was up to. Without even thinking, the words fell from my mouth, slow and breathy as I stared at the blonde girl. "You don't mean, we... right now, we're going to..."

Nio's mouth curled up into an even larger smile - one larger than I thought was humanly possible. Well, deformingly possible would be more accurate. "That's right. Right now, right here, we're going to have our _very first face-off! _The premier of our very own _battle arena."_

Those were the words I didn't want to hear.

And yet, the weight of what she said was only getting worse.

Suddenly, Nio flipped her tablet's screen around to face everyone. Displayed on the bottom of its small surface was a line up of all of our portraits, and above that, in the middle of the screen, was a red button that read, 'CHOOSE'. Two white outlines of a box sat on either side of the button, possibly marking out the space in which each chosen girl's portrait would appear, when chosen.

Surely enough, with an enthusiastic cry, Nio tapped the red button. "Let's get this started, shall we?" After displaying a small rolling die animation in the left box, the portrait of one of my classmate's appeared in the box, just like I had assumed. I was taken aback by the organisation of it all, though the small gasp from the crowd seemed to voice this better than my wide eyes.

The blonde took a glance at her screen, before giggling. "Well, looks like the first competitor today, and the first competitor ever chosen is..." Almost as if a dramatic drum roll was playing in the background, she lingered on her words, before announcing in a big voice: "Shiena Kenmochi-san!"

Said girl's face looked just about as confused as mine. I watched as she blinked, hearing her erratic breaths as she glanced at her feet. Her lips trembled, though her posture remained quite firm, almost as if she was trying to hide her discomfort. "...you make it seem like it's something to be proud of." were her quiet words. I couldn't blame her for being nervous, though. Her life was suddenly being put on the line, and everyone was staring right at her. It really made it seem that anyone who got chosen like this would be really unlucky.

Nio merely laughed it off, seeming to be enjoying this situation to the fullest, which was something the majority of us were not following along with. "You have amazing luck, why wouldn't that be something to be proud of?" she responded. Her finger lingered just above the screen as she waited though, pausing, before finally tapping the screen and speaking. "But anyway, the other competitor today will be..."

Just like before, the die animation showed up, and gradually, pixel by pixel, the portrait appeared on the screen.

"...Haruki Sagae-san!"

I froze.

"...h...huh?"

Concern, dread and fear all washed over me in one, forceful wave, taking over my senses completely. I felt sick, and lost control of my breathing, as I stared at the tablet's screen.

"Aha, looks like you've got good luck as well!" I ignored Nio's comment, because I knew all too well that it was far from the truth. I wasn't lucky in the slightest.

I was sure that I was nothing but really unlucky.

* * *

**A/N: I just wanted to say, I'm _really _thankful for all of the feedback this has gotten already! Seriously! ;v;**

**I can tell, this story is going to be a blast, for me and for all of you, haha! Anyway, don't be afraid to leave feedback down below! It's always appreciated. ^_^**

**Catch you in the next one~!**


	5. Chapter 5: Confusing

**Chapter 5: Confusing**

* * *

**A/N: I don't have much to say, besides the fact that you guys are so awesome. I appreciate everything you do. I know I say it a lot, but I can't say it enough. :'D**

**Enjoy the first action-filled chapter, of the many to come~!**

* * *

"...Haruki Sagae-san!"

"...h...huh?"

The events had begun to circle past me so fast, that I barely had any time to process them. I was left dumbfounded, blinking, as I stared at the tablet.

_'Yup, that's a picture of me, alright.' _

"Well, looks like today's match has been chosen!" Nio announced. It was only then, that I started to develop a dislike for how cheerfully the girl stated everything - especially because I felt anything but cheerful. With a raised eyebrow, and a smile nowhere to be seen on my face, I could definitely say that I felt _horrible._

I swallowed, trying to seem collected, at least on the outside. "Wait... you're seriously going to make us do this? Right here and now...?" I was sure that Nio had a definite answer in response to my question though, and it was one I didn't want to hear.

"Have you been listening at all? _Of course you do." _For some reason, I had the strongest urge to roll my eyes, but I held it back. _'I have to control myself here.' _I repeated to myself. _'I have to keep control...' _By that point, I was even manually controlling each intake of air I took, guiding the rhythm my rising and falling chest followed.

Gradually growing louder, I heard the whispers and chattering that erupted from the rest of the girls around me. It almost threw all of my progress away, causing me to feel paranoid of myself. _'What could they possibly be thinking right now...?' _

Just to make sure, I closed my eyes and extended my hearing range. The buzzing in my ears was drowned out by a bunch of background noise and the surrounding voices. While I couldn't amplify how loud their sound was, I could put anything insignificant on mute - which is exactly what I did, as I paid close attention to the words flying around me.

"...eh...! Look at how lucky you are, Shiena-chan~!..."

"This is for real, huh...?"

"...I don't trust a single thing that she's saying, even now..."

"...hey, don't think like that, it'll be okay..."

"...haha! My, this is amusing..."

"...What are those two standing around for...?"

Just as I deduced that nothing of importance was being said, I felt a pair of hands against my chest, pushing off with enough force to nearly shove me off the edge of the stage. I let out a surprised cry as my arms flailed, and body rocked off-balance. My eyes widened, heels meeting the very edge of the elevated surface. Arching my back forward, I quickly slammed my feet into the ground firmly, shifting my weight back to the centre as I regained myself. It all happened in an instant, and by the end of it, I could still feel my heart pounding.

"What the-" But before the words escaped me, my gaze slowly shifted up from the floor to meet the eye's of the girl responsible. "...what was that for...?" My expression and tone showed nothing but the genuine confusion and hurt I felt, as I blinked.

"Get out there already. You're wasting Isuke's precious time." were the playful-sounding words that came from my pink-haired roommate, staring back at me with a smirk. At the sight, any traces of anger flooded out of my body, and I was left standing there, just confused. I rubbed the back of my neck, looking around.

"...don't tell me, _you _want to go through with this as well?" I asked.

"This is going to help with speeding things up, and moving our progress forward. I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to." I couldn't say I wasn't expecting that response, but it didn't help how worried I actually felt. _'Does she not understand that some of us can die here...? Some of us that aren't human...?' _

I made a small deal with myself at that moment, that I wouldn't kill anyone unless I was 100% sure of my accusation. Even though the thought of a PA was lingering in the back of my mind, I wasn't about to let that reward control me. _'Who needs something like that anyway...?' _That's what I tried to convince myself of, but even then, the thought seemed just as tempting.

With a shake of my head, I pushed all other thoughts aside, and returned to the topic at hand. I met Isuke's fierce gaze for a moment before turning on my heel, waving my hand over my shoulder. "If you're serious about this, then let's get it over and done with, shall we...?" I urged, as I jumped from the stage. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as a loud bang resounded around the hall, when my feet collided with the wooden floor below.

"Hm? What's up with this sudden change of heart, Haruki-san?" I heard Nio call from behind me. As I approached the centre of the hall, not bothering to turn around, I extended my hearing range to cover all sounds inside the gymnasium.

"It's not a change of heart." I responded, trying to lift my attitude to a more casual one with a sigh. "It's a change of patience."

I didn't need to turn around to know that Nio's grin had widened at that comment.

"Well, if you say so. Shiena-san, if you please." As I finally reached the painted circle in the middle of the hall, I stopped, finally throwing a glance over my shoulder at the rest of my classmates. Reluctantly, Shiena had begun to weave her way through the girls, though not towards me. She'd stepped up to meet Nio at the front of the crowd, much to everyone's confusion.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to check something." she requested in a formal tone, wearing a firm expression. From the looks of things, she looked like she meant business, and there was to be no joking about it. Though taken aback by the request, Nio looked willing enough to cooperate.

"Hm? Sure, what is it?" she responded. Then, out of the blue came the brunette's response.

"...I'd like to see that tablet once more." And just like that, her strange request hung in the air, and her expression stayed strong. Even I happened to raise an eyebrow, wondering what on earth she could need with the tablet. But, Nio wasn't shaken by the offer at all, and merely handed the device out to the other girl.

"If you really want to." Without wasting another moment, the glasses-wearing girl took the tablet into her hands, scanning it's screen over with her eyes. She waited a few moments, creating a thick silence in the room, before tapping a few spots on the screen. I couldn't make out exactly where it was, nor could I see the display to confirm whether anything had changed. Judging by the blonde's nonchalant face though, Shiena wasn't altering much, or anything at all. Moments later though, the brunette gave in, and held the tablet back out towards the other.

I could have sworn I heard a small, fizzling sound coming from it.

"Here. Thanks." were her words, as the other girl took the device back into her grasp, staring down at the screen. Neither of them seemed to hear the sound, although as soon as Nio made contact with it, the sound cut out completely. _'Probably just me mistaking it for something else...' _I dismissed, even though that was an especially rare occurrence.

With a nod, Shiena bid the other off, and pushed through the crowd to join me in the centre of the hall. Following Nio's shouted orders, we stood on either half of the circle, divided by the single white line that ran through the middle of it. As I waited, I couldn't help staring right at the girl before me, thought running wild.

It was only then, when I realised just how terrifying facing another deformity was.

If I was standing in front of a samurai, I could prepare myself and watch for their katana. If I was standing before a police officer, I'd see their rifle, or even if I was in front of a martial arts student, I'd know to watch their limbs. But now was different.

I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know if I was in grave danger by just standing there, if I had to prepare myself for close-range or long-range attacks, or if I had to prepare for some kind of mental manipulation. I didn't know if my above average physical abilities would be able to last against someone with a physically working ability. I didn't know if I was going to die, or end up walking away, wishing I did.

The mere thought of the unknown that lay for me ahead was the most terrifying feeling I'd ever felt.

The only thing that distracted me from that feeling was the sound of Nio's voice, echoing in all directions. "Alright, without further ado, let's get this face-off started, shall we?" she announced, like professionals commentating a sports game on TV. "And just so you know, you guys will be allowed to move anywhere around the hall, as long as you don't come up onto the stage!"

I rolled my eyes, putting on a carefree attitude to hide the collision of emotions underneath me. _'Wasn't that a little obvious...? I don't think either of us want to entangle the rest of you in this, anyway.'_

"Now, on the countdown...!" As I stood completely straight and firm, I felt a layer of sweat form over the top of my hands. I didn't know what to expect... "3!" ...didn't know what to expect, "2!" ...didn't know what to expect, "1!" ...didn't know what to expect.

"Let the match... begin!"

...but when the words came, neither of us moved an inch.

Busy trying to quell my shaking, my fists had unconsciously tightened in front of my chest, and my knees were bent to give me balance. A firm stance, even though I didn't feel firm in the slightest. Shiena's face gave off almost no emotion, and merely stood in place, straight, almost unwilling to fight. The only thing abnormal thing about her that I noticed was her constantly shifting and darting eyes.

_'Maybe she's expecting something from me.' _I wondered. _'Maybe she's afraid of me as well.' _

As well.

As well...?

The words stuck with me for some reason, like an annoying piece of chewing gum that would never come off of your shoe, no matter how hard you tried to scrape it off. As well? That meant I was afraid of her, didn't it? I was afraid of what was to come, what was going to happen -

"Sagae-san." At the sudden menion of my name, I was pulled from my daze, heart left beating fiercely in my chest. Narrowing my gaze, I met the eyes of the brunette before me, allowing my eyes to answer her call. "You do know that we're not required to actually fight, nor reach our deaths, right?"

"Of course I know that." I responded, with a small sigh, trying to calm the nerves welling up in my stomach. Having an audience spectating me the entire time wasn't helping.

"Then why do you look so stiff?" The question almost threw me off, as I stood there, blinking over and over. I knew exactly why I was stiff, but I wasn't about to admit it out loud, when everyone else could hear. Instead, I lowered my arms by my sides, releasing my fists.

"Huh?" was the first word to come from my mouth. "I look stiff, do I...?" I found the courage to work a small smile onto my face, regardless of whether the atmosphere called for it or not. If everything around me felt thick, then it was my job to slice through it. "Well, it's a little unavoidable, considering there's an audience watching us, don't you think-"

Before I was able to finish, my breath was knocked from my chest, as I felt a foot collide straight into my abdomen.

Heels digging into the ground, my shoes squeaked as I was pushed and slid a few metres back from the other girl. While the blow itself didn't ache nearly as much as my heels now did, my attitude definitely took some damage.

Eyes focused right on the figure before me, who was lowering her leg back down to the ground like that had never happened, I worked on a smirk. "Not trying to make idle conversation with me, I see." I brushed off, hand gripping my stomach. Her proud expression almost matched mine. I was sure though, that the eyes she wore showed nothing but suspicion towards me.

Genuine suspicion and doubt.

_Maybe everyone suspects me. _The thought had returned.

"I don't know why you'd think I would want to do such a thing." came her response. I shook my head, taking a step closer to the other, as I regained my balance.

"Then, if you don't want to talk, what _is _your plan...?" She scoffed at me, adjusting her glasses before her smirk finally fell from her face.

"Stop asking so many questions and you'll see!" In the midst of her shout, she kicked off the slippery ground, sprinting towards me at a remarkable speed. I wasn't exactly sure of what to do, though my grin hid all of my doubts, as I balled my hands up into fists again.

A second later, Shiena was running right up to me, a metre or so away. She lifted up her leg once more, bending it in front of her, before extending it out towards me, sending the sole of her shoe rushing towards my face. While the momentum of her run-up gave her movement an advantage, I was swift enough to take a step aside, standing beside her as I spun myself around on my heel. With an extended leg, I swept across, landing a solid blow to her back that sent her tumbling towards the ground with a shriek.

I could distinctively hear everyone's murmurs and comments as I raised my fists to my chest, keeping a defensive stance. "...eh, looks like it's seriously started!"

"Neither of them have used their powers yet..."

"How boring."

"This is the first time I've seen Shiena-chan fight like this, haha!~"

Gritting my teeth, I glared at the body on the floor. Without further hesitation, I raised my foot above the struggling girl on the floor, ready to directly slam into her back and pin her down. However, when my foot collided with the ground instead - something much lower than I had anticipated - my balance was thrown off.

I felt my body begin to tip forward, but as my first reaction was to curl my toes up in my shoe, I happened to stop myself from toppling over completely. My eyes were glued to the other, who'd rolled off to my right before I could touch her. This time, she was quick to get back on her feet and act once more.

As I watched her approach, everyone's voices lingered in my ears. "...I'm not sure whether this is going to be boring throughout, or turn interesting somewhere along the line."

"Come on, you guys..."

My form was all kinds of sloppy by the time Shiena took another step towards me, knee bent and hurling towards me. I didn't have time to react before it smashed into my stomach, triggering the lingering pain from earlier, as I stumbled backwards. A wince escaped my lips and filled the other with a sense of triumph as I created distance between us, hunched over instinctively.

"O-Oi, using tricks isn't very nice." I spat, before sending a fist flying her way. With ease, she dodged out of the way, taking a step aside. Whirling around to follow her in a smooth motion, I used my other fist this time, aiming for her stomach from underneath.

Instead of moving aside, she took a small step back, watching my fist fly by before grabbing a hold of my wrist. _'Shit...!' _I cursed in my head, feeling all kinds of frustration suddenly start up. Before I could even think about yanking my arm out of her grip or sending another punch, her hand suddenly tightened.

I felt a snap of pain erupt from my forehead, and I froze. Flowing down my head and throughout my upper body was a wave of an indescribeable, aching pain that seemed to drain out of where Shiena's grip was on my wrist.

I let out a cry, twitching as I instantly tore my arm away from Shiena. Though the pain wasn't coming form her grip - it was doing the opposite, even, leaving through where she made contact with me - it was my initial reaction; one I couldn't control. Stepping backwards, I let my gaze shift to meet the other's, and what I saw surprised me.

Shiena was standing there, surveying her hands, wide-eyed. She looked just about as confused as I did, which didn't help my dissolving headache. Unlike me though, her face wasn't one of dread - it was almost as if she felt accomplished, like she had discovered something new for the first time in history.

The triumphant laughter that I expected to come from her never came, which wasn't easy on my nerves. I could feel the pain slowly wearing away with each second we stood there, motionless, wearing faces of confusion.

I was sure that what had just happened was linked to her power, but I had no idea how or in what way. It didn't make sense to me at all. It was just plain confusing, and nothing else stood out to me.

As she blinked and finally met my eyes, something about her attitude had changed. At that moment though, I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, exactly. She just looked like she was... full of forgiveness, or something like that. Even to me, I wasn't sure how to describe the look she gave me.

All I knew was that those eyes, that were previously filled with oceans of suspicion and distrust, no longer held such emotions.

"...ah." was the quiet word that came from her mouth soon after. As I heard that however, I made another baffling realisation.

There was no buzzing or eerie ringing in my ears, like usual.

And most importantly, I couldn't hear what everybody else was saying anymore.

_'What the hell is going on...?' _

My mind entered a panic, as my eyes displayed my shock. My vision darted to every part of the hall, unable to focus on one thing, as thoughts filled my head. _'What the hell?' _I kept saying. _'What the hell... what the hell is this? Why can't I... I didn't alter my range, so why... what the...'_

Narrowing my gaze, I returned to look at Shiena, worry creeping up on me with each passing second. She still wore the same expression. _'That gives me one less thing to worry about for the moment, then.'_

I shut out the image of the world before me, and tried altering the patterns in my mind, following the usual process that I would to change my hearing range.

The only thing that came from it was yet another throbbing headache.

"W-What the hell...!?" I cried, as my hands found their way on either side of my head. This time, the pain hadn't left at all, and still lingered on, no matter how hard my hands pressed up against my skull. I tried over and over, again and again to change my range, to listen to something outside the hall, to listen to nothing, to listen to the audience watching me.

But nothing happened - nothing, besides my headache that only worsened.

My knees were trembling beneath me as my eyes shot open, words flying through my mind. _'I can't... use my power...? I really... I can't... use it...' _I never thought I'd find myself feeling so lost after making that realisation, especially considering how useless I found my power to be. _'If I can't use it, then I'm just like... just like..._

_...I'm just like a normal, human being.' _

I immediately lifted my head up, chest burning with a panicking sensation that I'd never felt before. I had to check on my opponent, Shiena, before anything else. Though the words replayed over and over in my mind, and my palms were quite damp with sweat, I made checking on her my top priority, over all else.

I wasn't expecting her to be standing right in front of me.

_Right _in front of me.

I hadn't heard her footsteps approaching, so I had no way of knowing.

When my eyes fell onto her's, she gave a small smirk, though something about it reminded me of a genuine smile. _'There's no way.' _was how I dismissed it, as I tried to stand as firm as I possibly could to meet her show of confidence.

I surveyed the girl up and down before finally letting my eyes linger on the outstretched hand towards me, and the pale palm that was facing my way. I didn't even have time to react or question it, before Shiena's voice filled my ears. "Thanks for that, Sagae-san."

I had no idea what she was talking about, and so, I decided not to grace her with a reply. I merely continued staring at the palm that sat centimetres away from my face, taking slow steps backwards to create distance between us.

"Really. It's extremely helpful." she continued. I still wasn't following along though, and remained silent, trying to focus on anything except for the pulsing pain spreading across my head. To me, it felt like, if pain had a physical form, there were bubbles of it trapped in my temples, and it was beginning to slowly spread to the front of my head - slowly, and all too painfully.

"I'm sure you'll be grateful too, as soon as-"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I interjected, feeling my patience slip out of my grasp. Now with the aching pain, I had begun to feel quite light-headed and dizzy. It was a pain to keep myself standing up straight, which was just perfect when I was in such a tight situation already. "If you're just going to stand there, then there's no point in continuing this." I reminded her, eyelids slowly rising and falling over my eyes. "If you're done messing around, then forfeit already."

Shiena laughed off my response, puffing out her chest. "Messing around...? If that's what it seems like I'm doing, then I'm definitely not done yet." she responded. I stil didn't know quite what she meant, but I assumed I was soon going to find out, and kept my mouth shut.

Then, along with the strangely muffled, quiet sound of her footsteps, Shiena took gradual steps towards me, hand still outstretched as if she wanted to grab my face. In response, I gathered my concentration and took steps backwards again, though because of my headache, I couldn't quite match her pace. She was gaining on me, no matter what I did - and fast.

And then, with an expression unreadable, her shoulders tensed up together. The only warning I received was the barely audible noise of a fizzling, before I witnessed one of the most incredible things I'd ever seen up close.

Seeming to generate from her very fingertips, out from her palm shot a single, glowing bolt of electricity.

I didn't have time to stare in awe though. It was coming right for me, at a speed unreal to the human eye. Unable to pry my eyes away from the blinding light it radiated, I barely had time to take a step away from it's path. However, I really was the Unlucky that day.

While I knew exactly when and where to step to rush to safety, my head spun. I could feel my body swaying, losing balance as I tried to do so, as the world around me blurred. Pain knocked up against my head, taking full control over me, as my feet fumbled beneath me.

I couldn't hear a single thing besides the zapping and cracking of the bolt as it collided right into my left shoulder.

Instantaneously, an explosion of burning, screaming pain flooded my limb, causing it to go numb within seconds. The hairs on my body stood on end as I felt the power of the shock travel throughout the rest of me, stinging unlike anything I'd felt before. I barely had time to realise what had happened, and that my headache was suddenly being drained away, before I crashed onto my knees. That would surely leave a few bruises behind.

Breathing had become a difficult exercise by the time I collected myself once again, heart thudding in my chest as my shoulder burned. The sounds of the world around me faded in and out, distorting and fixing itself over and over. Something had happened to my ears, and I didn't know what - I wasn't sure if they had returned to a normal human capability, been completed busted, or what.

Then again, my ears was only one of my concerns.

I could barely move my left arm from it's limp position, as I stared down at the ground, wincing. I didn't even want to glance over at it to have a proper look at the damage left behind. I doubted I had the physical strength to do so, anyway.

"You... you have..." I began speaking without thinking, allowing my thoughts to flow right out and into the atmosphere around me. "You can control... electricity... can't you...?" My voice sounded weak and breathless, though that was probably because of how intensely my body felt those traits.

I could barely hear her footsteps again as she approached. Seeing her legs in my vision, I knew she'd stopped right in front of me, possibly looming over me with the largest smile. "Oh, I don't know, can I...?" she teased, letting out a small laugh. She seemed so... heartless. So cruel, even though we were classmates. "I assure you, there's much more to it than that, but that's it put in simple terms."

At that point in time, I didn't care for simple or technical terms. I just wanted to know what her freaking power was - and now that I knew that, my fear doubled over.

"It's name is Electricity Absorption, if you wanted to know."

_'Absorption...?' _I repeated in my head. I wasn't about to question where she would absorb electricity from, since thinking required enough effort as it was. It wasn't because of the headache at all - that had long begun to fizzle out - it was because of the physical exhaustion I felt. If I hadn't taken a direct hit from that bolt, I would have been fine.

"I can only guess what you're thinking right now. 'Where does she absorb electricity from?', I'm assuming is something along the lines of your thoughts...?" she continued, still towering over me. "I'm happy to answer for you, if you're that interested."

I doubted I had the will to listen to her, but I didn't object, and stayed quiet anyway. "Well, let's just say I didn't borrow Nio's tablet for no reason. I guess I didn't have time to apologise for using up her charge, either." I was barely able to follow along and make sense of what she was telling me, having too many things occupying my mind and body. "I've gotta touch something to drain its electricity. If not, I'd be using the lights in this place at any moment."

I opened my mouth to mutter a response under my breath, in an attempt to push past all that was clouding me, but quickly shut it again. My throat felt dry, and I didn't exactly know why. Shiena seemed to have a lot to say, so I merely allowed her to continue. She was the only thing I could hear.

"Once I've taken a hold of that power, I can manipulate it at will." Though it was unexpected, I didn't do as little as react, when the brunette knelt in front of me. Meeting my pained eyes with her own emotionless ones, she spoke. "Man, it's actually a pain to explain all this... hopefully, I'll get to hear your's in return when this is done."

Then, out of nowhere, she grasped my collar, pulling me up from my position to extend my back. I felt my knees beginning to ease at the lifted weight, though the amount of air coming from my mouth was steadily dropping. She glared at me. "...that is, if you _have _a power to explain to me."

The words pierced straight through me, awakening my senses.

_'She seriously suspects me. Me. _Me.'

Thought of my previous headache and my shoulder lost, I returned the powerful, fierce gaze that I was received. I watched without a single moment of hesitation as the other slowly raised a fist beside her head, her target pointed directly at me.

In the blink of an eye, that fist I was staring at was flying towards me. I braced myself, closing my eyes and opening my mouth, ready to intervene.

But nothing came.

I waited.

Still nothing.

_What...?_

I peered my eyes open to see that, almost a centimetre before collision with my nose, Shiena's fist had paused. Stopped in it's tracks. I hadn't noticed just how frightened I looked, before my expression eased, though shock still remained in my system.

Without dropping her fist by her side, Shiena yanked me closer to her, putting her mouth against my ear as she whispered something.

"...just kidding. I know you're not the human."

Everything stopped, and we were left in complete silence.

_I know you're not the human. _

Those words had conflicted with everything that had happened before that point. I didn't know how to react, or how to deal with it, or if she was even speaking the truth. I was just left there, pulled up by the collar, stunned.

Soon enough, the suffocating grip around my collar began loosening, and the brunette pulled away. She slowly came to stand up as I watched her with curious, questioning eyes. She gave me a faint smile, before whispering:

"...hopefully, you can forgive me for beating you up so badly, Sagae-san."

Then, she raised her hand above her head, back facing the audience I forgot was present as she raised her voice. "I forfeit."

I blinked my eyes, lowering back into the ground in disbelief. _'She knows I'm not human? She wanted to say sorry? She's _forfeiting?' I repeated in my head, staring up at the other girl, looking just as surprised as our audience members. _'Just how... how confusing can this girl get...?'_

"Huh?" Nio's voice responded. As the buzzing in my ears returned, I noticed everything begin to sharpen in my ears. _'Maybe my hearing's coming back to me... maybe my power, I mean.' _I had yet to confirm everything, but I could always test that theory in a few seconds.

"I said, I forfeit." she repeated, finally turning to face the rest of the girls. Since she moved out of the way, even I could see their surprised faces from where I was.

Then, closing my eyes, I tried concentrating on nothing but my ability, and the words I ran through my head. It was like I flicked a few switches in my head - and, all of a sudden, I was able to hear the muffled background noise of the entire hall.

_'I can... hear everything.' _Just to make sure, I extended my range to the maximum it could go. Surely enough, 30m out from where I sat on the ground, I could hear a default, brushing noise from outside. I let out a sigh of relief, before tweaking my range back to just the inside of the hall. _'Finally... something relieving... I don't know what happened back there, but I'm glad my power's back.'_

And at those words, I happened to work on a smile.

Noticing I was still on the ground, I blinked. _'Ah, crap, I might want to stand up sometime soon.' _I reminded myself. There was only one problem, though. My left arm was still quite numb, and I could barely move it. _'Great...' _

With one shaky arm for support, I pushed myself off my knees, gradually coming to stand back on my feet. I didn't bother trying to stand up straight, allowing myself to lean on my left as my arm sagged beside me, and my back arched forward. I groaned as I went through the motion, feeling my stiff body creak, until I finally stood upright.

"You forfeit?" Nio called back out, echoing around the hall. Though still surprised, the expression didn't last long, and she was soon wearing her signature, sly grin. "Well then, that settles it!" she began once again, sounding like an announcer as she pointed in my direction. "The victor of today's match is Haruki Sagae!"

Though she made it sound like an achievement, I found no such triumph within me. The feeling of gratefulness I felt was towards Shiena, not the match itself. I was glad that I'd made it out alive, without taking too much damage, and I was especially thankful for her attitude.

_'She's not a bad person.' _I noted, with a smile as I limped over to stand beside her. I flashed her my thankful face, and though she only met my eyes for a second, that was enough time for me to see the smile she wore back.

I heard a groan and a bunch of chatter being to form, coming from the group of spectators in the distance, standing on higher ground. "Eh? It's over already...?" I heard someone call out. "Well, now that this is over and done with, can we leave now...?" By the end of it, I recognised it to have been my roommate, being as impatient as ever.

Nio looked over at her, still wearing the same expression. "I now declare this match closed." she spoke in a formal tone, before chuckling. "Now, Isuke-san, you may leave." She raised her tone to address everyone once again, though mainly to make sure Shiena and I could hear from the centre of the hall. "Remember, assassinations must come to me. This'll happen every three, inactive days, so keep that in mind! With that, you all can go back to your dorms."

Of all things, I wasn't willing to walk all the way back to my dorm. I let out an exhausted sigh, arm still tingling and hanging beside me, as I looked up at the brunette walking away from me. "Aww, man... I don't want to walk all that way..." I complained, to no one in particular. Apparently, Shiena was listening though, and briefly turned around to address me.

"Oh, come on. It's not that far." she responded with a disappointed shake of her head, though I could tell she was only messing around with me. Waving my vacant hand, I gave a smile.

"Riiiight. I guess I don't have a choice..." I moaned, slowly trudging out of the hall. I was planning on taking my time and walking there alone, but when I caught sight of a certain pink-haired girl out in the distance, I couldn't _not _call out to her. "Oi, Isuke-samaaaa! Wait up...!" was what I said as I outstretched my arm, pouting.

The other seemed to barely hear me, turning for a moment, before waving a hand over her shoulder. "Hurry up then, Haruki. Your legs weren't even touched during that, you should be fine."

"Hey, at least I'm trying my best!" I called, picking up my pace as best I could.


	6. Chapter 6: Sincerely

**Chapter 6: Sincerely**

I blinked my green eyes. I could have sworn they had genuine stars in them, with my fascination shining right through. "So that's what it means to have Electricity Absorption, huh...?" I concluded, summarising everything my roommate had told me in the last hour or so. I hadn't been keeping track of time to really know for sure, though.

She nodded her head, looking off to the side as she brought her glass of water to her lips. "Pretty much, yeah. That's... all there is to it." Taking a sip, Shiena closed her eyes, making sure as to not spill any on the sofa we were sitting side-by-side on. I was still intently staring at her all the same, though.

"That's so cool...!" were the first comments to slip from my mouth. "Oh, but wait, doesn't it suck to not be able to alter human bodies...? Like, wouldn't it be _reaaallly _useful if you could take the electrons and stuff from people? Ooh, you could kill someone by taking people's brain charge, just like that...! Ah, that sounds so amazing..." Without my noticing, my cheeks had tinged a light pink at the thought. _'But then again, instant, quick deaths are nowhere near as fulfilling...'_

She rolled her eyes. I had no idea why - I mean, what I said was perfectly reasonable and smart! "Maybe so, but everyone's got limitations." she brushed off, placing her glass back down onto the table before us. "And even so, _why on earth _is the idea of _instant death _so fascinating to you...?" It was almost like she was accusing me of something, with such a demanding, forceful tone.

"Hm? Fascinate me? Aww, no reason!" I dismissed, hiding every ounce of truth underneath my innocent smile. "Doesn't it interest you too, Shiena-chan? At least a _liiiitle _bit?" There was no way I was going to tell her of my outside-of-school 'hobby'.

"As if. Only a weirdo like you would find interest in things like that! Does people dying not bother you in the slightest?" I pretended to ponder, placing a finger to my chin as I stared up at the ceiling.

"Hm... just a little."

"Just a _little!?" _

"Yeah, a little."

"...man, you seriously are weird, you know that?"

"I know! You tell me that everyday!"

"Yeah, whatever..."

Yeah. There was no way I was going to tell her that I used my power frequently outside of this school.

There was _definitely_ no way I was going to tell my Shiena-chan that I was a serial killer, hiding in plain view.

At least, not yet.

I scratched the back of my head, looking around the room vaguely before resting my gaze on Shiena. We needed something to talk about. Something, something something... something that didn't involve death, or anything like that. With my one-tracked mind, it was difficult to think of such a topic, but I tried my best.

"So..." I trailed off, hitting a range of pitches in an almost melody with that one word. "What now?" At first, it looked like my words went unheard though, as the brunette next to me didn't move an inch. It took a moment for me to realise that she hadn't ignored me - instead, she was thinking, pouting to herself, looking almost like an artist pondering about what to draw next.

"Is something bothering you, Shiena-chan...?" I asked, leaning over in genuine curiosity. "Because if there is, you know you can always talk to me, right?" was my casual offer, as I brightened my smile. She didn't even do as little as glance over as I did so though, making me feel quite neglected - not that that was rare.

"...nothing's really bothering me exactly, I'm just... thinking." was the response I received. _'Well, I figured _that _much!' _Though I bit my tongue, holding back the smart-aleck words.

"Thinking? About what?" As if it wasn't already obvious, I was really determined to talk to Shiena and figure out what was on her mind. During our small time together, she hadn't opened up to me much, so I figured I had to take any chances I could.

Shiena shook her head, almost as if trying to brush me off, and say 'don't worry'. Luckily enough, those were not the words to come from her mouth. "Just... something from earlier today, I guess." I couldn't stop myself from shuffling closer to my roommate, causing our thighs to brush together.

"Ooh, you mean that fight today...? The one with you and Sagae?"

"Bingo." she responded. And, although in a casual tone, it made me feel quite achieved. I felt proud of myself, but I put aside those emotions for now. There was a topic at hand that needed to be discussed, I could just feel it.

"Alright, so... what about it? If you're worried about how you went, I think you hear me complimenting and saying enough about it earlier, so you really shouldn't be thinking about it~!" I cheered. It was true; as soon as I'd met back up with Shiena in our room, I talking my mouth off about how much she'd impressed me - since, well, it was true. I couldn't use any words to describe that face-off, over than impressive.

"A-Ah, I know, I know, I heard enough, that's not it." My smile lowered.

"Then, what _is _it...?"

"It's just..." Then, almost as if she gave in, she sighed. Lifting her eyes from the glass on the table, she finally looked up to make eye-contact with me.

I wasn't sure if the jolt of electricity I felt pulse through my veins was because of that, or because of her ability.

"Something weird happened half way through, so I thought you would have noticed. Not that you were in my shoes to know exactly what was wrong, but at least, notice that something was off for a moment." I stared back at her, blinking slowly as I tried to take in her words. They were kinda confusing, but I seemed to get the gist of it.

"Hm... something was off for a moment...? I don't think I follow." The room fell under a surprisingly thick and harsh silence, before Shiena continued.

"Well, it was near the end of it all. When I grabbed onto her wrist." she started to explain, as I leaned closer in my seat. I couldn't hide my interest in what she was saying. "...it's got something to do with what you said before actually, funnily enough."

"What? That you were an amazing fighter?"

"No, not that, idiot." She was quick to shoot me down - almost too quick. "I mean, that whole thing about taking electricity from people's bodies. I'm 100% certain that I can't absorb electricity from any human or deformity's body. And yet, at that moment..."

"You absorbed electricity from her?"

"Yeah, I did..."

I wore a small frown, finally leaning back into the lounge as I thought. "And you're sure it was from her, and nothing else?" Shiena shook her head, furrowing her eyebrows without a single sign of hesitation or doubt.

"I'm sure. I wasn't touching anything else that would provide a big enough charge for me to take... and it happened accidentally, as soon as I made contact with her." I knew that, since Shiena was puzzled, I wasn't going to be of any help at all. Still, I wouldn't accept it if I did nothing, while something like this was troubling my roommate.

And so I thought about it for a moment or so.

I thought about it genuinely, long and hard, taking in every piece of information I had until I drew a conclusion.

"...any ideas?"

Okay, that wasn't really a conclusion, but I did _something._

She paused for a moment, mouth deforming as she thought. "Like I said, I've never done anything like that before, so I'm a little stumped..." And despite saying that, she continued to explain one of her ideas. "Well, I have got one theory, and I'm willing to believe that over anything else."

I gave a small nod, urging her to continue.

"It's just... I haven't thought about it before, but maybe her body was giving off a more powerful electric charge than a human. If she was emitting extra waves or signals somehow, then that might explain it... Technically, I wasn't absorbing her body's charge then, it would have been the extra signals instead."

I guess she really didn't need my help in the end.

Oh well.

"Huh." was the word that slipped from my lips, before I even realised it. "Isn't that the only explanation, then?"

"I guess so... that's the only one I've come up with." she reasoned. I knew she wasn't going to bother asking if I had any ideas - it was plainly obvious that I had none, anyway. "So, if it is true, then her brain was doing something that humans can't, and in the end, that means..."

But for once, I found myself actually following along with her deductions. My face brightened, like a light bulb had conveniently lit right above my head. "Oh! That means she _is _one of us, huh? She's not the traitor?"

When my roommate nodded her head, wearing the faintest sign of a smile, my chest fluttered in achievement. I could barely contain my excitement as I shuffled about in my seat, hands clasped in my lap. "So, so, the fight was good for something besides making you look cool _after all!" _

And just like that, the usual, bashful, Shiena returned.

I was just beginning to wonder when she would come back, too.

"O-Oi, could you stop saying things like that...!?" she shouted, raising her fists in front of her chest. I giggled at the sight, placing a hand in front of my mouth, before exclaiming,

_"NEVER!" _in an all too dramatic tone. This, along with the sight of a puffy-cheeked Shiena caused my laughter to heighten, tears forming in my eyes before I could finally speak again. "It's true, so why wouldn't I say it?"

"It's not true, shut up, don't lie!" For a moment, I could have sworn I saw a flash of genuine hatred in her eyes. As much as that pained me, I didn't let it faze me, and kept on smiling. I waved a hand in the air.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah~!" I dismissed, as I threw a glance at the digital clock across the room. My eyes widened when I took in the time, immediately moving to gaze outside the large window bordering our room. "Huh. It's actually kinda late, shouldn't we be going to sleep sometime soon? More like, right now...?"

"H-Huh...? What time _is _it...?"

"11 'o clock."

Silence.

Everything paused.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

_"...you seriously kept me up this late when we have class to get to tomorrow? Agh, god dammit Otoya...!" _

But instead, I just erupted into another fit of laughter, clutching at my stomach as I wiped my eyes. "Ah, come on, Shiena-chan, you wanted to spend time with me.~" I teased. "Besides, right now by complaining about it, you're just wasting more of your sleeping time."

Shiena just glared at me, growling in annoyance, before shooting up from her position and walking around the room. "...I swear, either I've lost the patience, or with time, you've just grown to be more of an annoyance."

I smirked. "Have fun finding out the answer to that one, Shiena-chan!"

. . .

I wasn't sure exactly what time it was when I sat up in my bed, but I knew that it was a little strange.

The sun had barely risen in the outside sky, beginning to fill the room with it's glowing, morning light. If I had to guess, I would say it was around 6 'o' clock in the morning when I gazed around the room. Though I usually slept in longer than Shiena, my roommate, at that moment I felt not a single trace of fatigue.

Well, besides the single yawn that left my lips moments later, this is. There weren't any signs indicating that I'd been awake for only a few moments, either. Still, I felt awake as ever, despite it being rare for me to get up early. _'Guess I've just gotten a lot of sleep recently.' _I dismissed.

My body felt restless as I sat there in my bed, legs covered by the warmth of my blanket. The only choice I had was to get up, though. I knew how much I would regret it, knowing that outside of my bed was nothing but a world of terribley cold air, but shivering was easier to put up with than this feeling of unease, and overflowing energy.

After a dramatic and all-too-unnecessary countdown, I tossed the covers off my lower limbs. The chilling breeze that flew about the room was quick to greet them into the open air, goosebumps running down my back as I winced. _'I can't make a single noise...!' _I scolded, as my head turned towards the sleeping figure across from me. I couldn't afford waking her up at this time - I would surely receive more than a scolding for disturbing her.

More energy pumped through my veins though, and at that moment I knew I couldn't sit still any longer. Swinging my legs off the side of the bed, I was quick to stand up and stretch, body filling with relief at the movements I made. It already felt good enough to be up and moving, even if it was nothing more than a little stretch.

Just as I'd left the warming embrace of my bed though, I'd realised that there was still business waiting for me back there. I sighed, giving a little pout to the air. No matter what I did, it seemed my bed would always be calling for me. Not that it mattered.

Leaning over the mattress, keeping myself steady with one arm, I reached the other underneath my pillow. Quietly humming to myself, I fumbled around, in search of - oh, there we go. Suddenly, my waving hand hit a solid object, which was sandwiched in between my pillow and the mattress below. Green eyes shining in triumph, I was quick to take hold of the object and pull it out in front of me.

_'Here we go.' _I didn't do as little as blink when I flipped open my phone, allowing it's screen to shine bright in my face. It was nearly the brightest thing in the room, actually. _'So I was right, 6:13 am, it is.' _I repeated to myself, feeling proud. Sure, it wasn't that hard to tell the time when sunrise had just begun, but that didn't stop a smile from stretching across my face.

Now that I had my phone, I was sure I was good to go.

Slowly making my way through the room, certain as to not make a sound, I turned towards the big cupboard in the corner of the room. The doors quietly swung open, and as I stared at the array of clothes I had hanging there, I pondered to myself. _'Hmm... I'm up, sure, but what am I going to do...?' _was how I began, running my eyes over every spot in my vision. _'I can't wake Shiena-chan up, and I can't visit anyone else this early in the morning...'_ I resisted every urge pulsing through my body that told me to pick up the two bags I had stashed away in the corner of the cupboard. As much as I would love to use the silver tools remaining inside of them, I knew it wasn't the time. _'Just hold on for another few days, Otoya. Then, you can do whateeeever you please!' _I convinced, being the only thought in a while to relate to my actions.

Giving up on my clothing search, I pulled out one of my only attires, consisting of a long-sleeved white shirt, a striped vest, matching skirt, a red tie and black stockings. _'Hm... what should I do, what should I do...? I've got a whole morning to waste away, and I just don't know what to do...!' _Face happily beaming at the clothes in my hands, I skipped away and to the bathroom to change out of my pyjamas. My thoughts still continued.

_'I could go eat something.' _I suggested, as if someone else was listening, as I lifted my purple shirt over my head. _'But then again, it's never a good idea to go to a place like the cafeteria on my own. Other students'll be there...!' _My eyes scanned past the shower, having already taken one the morning before. I turned towards the sink instead, my exposed back beginning to shiver again. _'Though I would love to see some new faces, I don't think they'll appreciate seeing mine. I'm still part of this class.' _Rushing from the tap, I leant over and splashed the cold water onto my face. A few drops flew out and landed on my chest - _absolutely freezing...!_

_'So, if eating isn't an option, what _can _I do at this time...?' _Turning off the water, before the droplets dribbling off my chin could land elsewhere, I rubbed my face with the towel hanging right by the sink. It was a really soft towel, I must say. _'I don't wanna go back to bed. That's boring!' _Snapping my eyes open, I pried myself away, feeling more aware than ever.

_'I really can't spend this morning with anyone else, can I...?' _Finally paying attention to the pile of clothes I'd set down earlier, I yanked the white shirt out of it's fold. My mind stayed silent for the most part as I changed one piece of clothing at a time and tied up my hair, taking way longer than I'd initially hoped for. It was nearly 6:30 by the time I'd stepped back out of the bathroom, wearing a light smile.

_'Hm... what am I going to do on my own, then...?' _The conclusion I'd drawn from before lingered in my mind again. _'It doesn't hurt to take another walk around the school, does it? This place is pretty big, I'm sure it'd be fine!' _Approaching the front door of our room, I slid on my black shoes with a small kick. _'I won't get lost, or anything. I know this place pretty well by now.'_

Before deciding to turn and leave the room completely, I glanced over my shoulder, blinking in interest. My eyes fell upon my sleeping roommate, a distance away, although I could see her body steadily rising and falling with each breath she took. Curious frown quickly turning to a smile, the sight reminded me of another bright idea. _'I can't just leave Shiena-chan without warning, can I? She's gonna get up soon anyway.' _

Skipping back over by her bedside, eyes wide in excitement, I contained my giggles. Quietly, I began to shuffle through the drawers between our beds, trying to reduce the scraping noise it made every time. _'Oh, those are her glasses. Wrong drawer.' _I noted as I pulled out the row beneath it. _'Ah, there we go!'_

In a rush, I pulled out the notepad sitting there, as well as a pen. In my messy handwriting, I scribbled down a memo, before ripping it free from the rest of the stack and putting the utensils away again. With my paper in hand, and smile large, I placed my message right in the middle of my bed, in a spot Shiena would hopefully see when she woke up. I turned from the bedroom-section, giving one last glance at the words written in black ink before walking towards the front door.

_'If I'm not here by the time you wake up, I'm currently out for a stroll! Don't worry, I'll see you when class starts today, okay? Oh, and good morning, Shiena-chan! :D '_

Dusty blush shading my cheeks, I giggled, before opening the door and taking a step out into the outside, cold air. Where she was headed, she had no idea - her legs were what led her through the school, with no set destination in mind.

. . .

When Shiena first opened her eyes that morning, body unsettled at having being woke up by an alarm clock once more, a wave of confusion was quick to hit her. Though her vision was blurry, she figured she didn't need her glasses to realise that the bed across from her was empty - completely empty, and there was no sign of her bubbly roommate anywhere nearby.

"...what the... Otoya...?" she whispered through frustrated groans, fatigue holding onto her body more than the confusion. Still, the brunette couldn't say she wasn't curious at least. This was the first time she'd woken up without the other girl there. And plus, she needed to get up out of bed, anyway.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position sent her mind spinning, though the headache and dizziness subsided almost as fast as it came. Squinting her eyes, though it did nothing to help her unfocused vision, she let out a sigh, sitting on the edge of her bed finally. From there, she could see a small spot of white that conflicted with the rest of the other's bed sheets, although she couldn't make out what it was, exactly. "...what... _is _that, anyway?"

Though her movements were sluggish at best, the brunette managed to reach over and put her glasses on and stand from her bed, before blinking her vision clean. Now that things were in focus, and the sunlight seeping through the windows didn't seem like a fuzzy glow on the floor, she approached her roommate's bed.

"Oh. It's a piece of paper." she whispered out loud, though she had no real reason to be talking to herself. Without anyone else in the room to hear her, it wouldn't have made a difference anyway. Picking up the stray sheet with a raised eyebrow, she held her breath, not sure what to expect from such a spontaneous, unreasonable girl such as Otoya.

When she saw the smiley face scribbled in the corner of the page, all her seriousness and worry vanished from her mind completely. Her eyes skimmed over the page with a slight amount of interest. Although, as soon as she finished reading over it, she sighed.

And crumbled the page up into a tight ball.

She almost detested herself for getting annoyed at Otoya so often, but then again, when she did annoying acts like that, she couldn't help but feel frustrated. Eye twitching, she threw the paper over her shoulder and into a bin.

"...seriously? She got up early just to go for a stroll, or something? Way to go, leaving me alone." she grumbled. However, she only held onto her frustration for a few moments longer. Her logic seemed to be telling her that there wasn't anything to be frustrated about - and so, she released the emotion eventually, shaking her head as she wore a frown.

"Well, at least she told me. I don't have to put up with her this morning, so maybe it is a good thing after all." was the conclusion she came to, as she let out another sigh, though this time wearing a gentle smile. "Maybe she should take a stroll every morning. That sure would save me a loooot of stress." she muttered, before turning on her heels.

"...anyway. I'd better stop wasting time, and get prepare for class already. Gotta make sure to use this moment of relief while it lasts..."

. . .

"Maaaaaan... I wonder what time it is." Obviously, I wasn't aware of just how many hours or minutes had passed as I stretched my arms above my head, yawning. The sun was beaming more vibrantly on the world below, and since I found myself wandering around the botanical gardens on one of this school's top floors, I could definitely feel it's rays and heat up close.

By this time, my legs were beginning to ache; burn almost, with how long I had been walking non-stop around almost the entire school. Because of this, I had soon come to a stop, crossing my legs as I sat on the tiled floor. With bushes and the sound of nature all around me, I let out a sigh, as my purple fringe bounced upon my forehead.

Filing through my skirt's pocket, I reached down for my phone, flicking it's screen open once more.

_'...huh?' _I blinked a few times, staring in disbelief at the time displayed. _'It's already 8:45...? So I've been walking around and talking and thinking to myself for over _two hours?' I wasn't sure exactly how to feel. Sure, that was quite the amount of exercise, but it was nothing to be proud of. I _did _just waste two hours doing _nothing, _after all. What could be possibly good about that?

It wasn't like I could turn back time, and stop walking after an hour though. Looking to the ground in disappointment, I sighed, taking the situation as it was. "Well, looks like I've gotta head to class, then. Shiena-chan would kill me if I were late, or if I left her all alone for much longer!" I cheered, with a giggle. Though I could feel the muscles in my lower limbs pounding from exhaustion, I tucked my phone back in my pocket and immediately stood up.

Taking a quick glance of my surroundings, I admired the chirping and melody of the birds around me, for one final moment. I sucked in the fresh air. It really was quite relaxing, even if I had been out here for quite the while. "Don't worry, I'm coming, Shiena-chan~!" was what I announced.

As I took a step forward, another sound reached my ears.

The sound of footsteps, that most certainly did not belong to me.

I paused, body becoming immobilized with caution.

A rustling sound was soon to follow, though this time there was no mistaking it. It came from behind me, and a little to my left, and possibly a number of metres away.

There was no way I wasn't going to investigate.

Nothing but curiosity was bubbling in my chest by then, body straightened to stand upright again. I made sure to stand on edge though, ears as perked as could be, as I listened out into the silence for any other giveaways. _'What was that...? Is someone there?' _

I recalled all too clearly the moment I had entered the botanical garden, though. Not a soul was in sight, even after I'd explored the majority of it's area. Disregarding noises made by me and the nature around me, there were no other sounds in the entire place. I couldn't figure out a reason why there would be, so suddenly.

_'I think I would have noticed if someone walked in as well, but... oh well. I'll never know if I wait around here.' _Not knowing quite what to expect, I wore a stretched smile as I turned on my heel. Facing the vague direction that the rustling and footsteps came from earlier, I began to nearly tip-toe closer to the target. Without a clear reason why, I felt a strange vibe; one that told me to keep myself as hidden as possible. Of course, out of all people, doing something like that was a piece of cake for me.

Instantaneously, I activated my power, allowing my proud smirk and the rest of my body to turn completely invisible. Though not at all noticeable to others' eyes, in my own vision I could see a warped outline of my own body. It was like looking through glass, really. Although there isn't much difference between the glass and what's behind it, you can see the outline and location of the glass perfectly.

Making sure to be extra careful, as to not make any suspicious noises, I kept up my steady pace, taking gradual steps. With all the trees, bushes and other plants, it was hard to see past everything. I just had to follow the tiled path, keeping my eyes on where the sounds had come from, and turn the corner when it came. Then, I would be able to see everything clearly.

As I approached closer and closer though, something else reached my ears. Something that didn't quite fit in with the quiet humming of nature.

It was nothing but a high-pitched buzzing from where I stood. With something else now to tell me where my destination was, I continued walking, eyes blinking in confusion. _'What... _is that?' But a few steps was all I needed for the sound to finally become clear to me.

It was someone's voice.

And suddenly, upon realising that, I'd stopped without noticing. My eyes were wide, as I naturally listened to the words they were speaking. _'Who is that, anyway...? If I can recognise their voice, then... that would help.' _Innocent frown sitting upon my face, I took a few more steps, inching closer to get a better listen.

"...yeah! I guess so... ... ...no way, it's all... schedule... ...!" High pitch, excited tone, breathy words... whoever was speaking seemed to be on the phone, was what I deduced from it all. Even after a week I couldn't match voices to faces, apparently. Although that was a little disappointing, my curiosity weighed out any other feeling in my body.

Finally giving in, I let out a breath, relying on my power to get a better view of things. Walking around the corner and coming out of the view of a row of tree branches, I approached the other person, keeping my presence completely hidden.

_'...huh? Wait a minute, that's...' _

Short, but wavy blonde hair. Sharp, orange eyes. Short. Small complexion. That was none other than...

Nio. Hashiri Nio, to be exact.

To be honest, I didn't know her that well at all. We'd exchanged words on a few occasions, some of those times being during group conversations, but we hadn't specifically bonded. We weren't even acquaintances; just classmates, at the best.

With my interest dropping lower than the sigh I breathed, I shook my head, glancing towards the direction I came from. _'Well, I'm not about to eavesdrop. She's probably talking to a family member or something, I bet.' _was what I deduced. I lifted a foot from the ground to turn around, but I couldn't un-hear the words that came from the blonde after that.

"...you see, Shiena... ..."

_Huh? _Why was she talking about Shiena...?

"I guess so...! ... no power... fun...!"

No power...? What kind of conversation was she having, anyway?

My mind couldn't keep up; couldn't understand anything at all. Before I knew it, instead of taking me backwards, my legs were taking me closer and closer to the other girl. My eyes were narrow, as if I was expecting something bad to come from the information I was about to listen to. I wasn't sure if the swirling in my stomach was from worry, nerves, or something else, either.

But never the less, I was gaining on the other. Just like a radio signal, with the closer I got, the clearer her words became.

"Hm? Well, I don't really know yet. ... kinda difficult, you know...? ..." I couldn't settle my curiosity no matter how hard I tried, and I had completely disregarded the fact that I was eavesdropping - eavesdropping on something private, that wasn't even my business. I didn't care for that any more. I just wanted to desperately know what Nio was talking about.

"Sometimes it's hard keeping an eye on everyone... huh...? Ah, right, I know. I'm trying my best!" It would be extremely helpful if I could hear the other end of the line, as well. But then again, I didn't even know _who _she was talking to in the first place, so I wasn't about to go that far. For some reason, my body rejected the idea of standing that close to her, and not the eavesdropping concept all together. Besides, if I accidentally bumped into her, that was be disastrous.

"I'm keeping track of all the ones I figure out, don't worry. I can do that much..." she continued, thankfully still oblivious to my presence. A smile had worked it's way back onto my face at some point, but I wasn't sure when it happened. "...oh, that's fine, that's fine. I understand. Ah, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I do have one question though."

I only stood a metre or less away from the other girl now, right beside another garden patch and bush of plants. At that point, I was really glad I didn't have to bother trying to hide amongst the trees or anything to do this kind of thing - that would be too risky. I had it easy, now that I thought about it, though that idea didn't occupy my head for long.

"Do you... know who the traitor actually is?" Unconsciously, I held my breath, leaning on the edge of my metaphorical seat as I became completely silent. I didn't care who was on the other end, I just wanted to hear an answer.

Losing control of myself for the sole reason of curiosity, I quickly rushed from my position and by Nio's side. Being careful not to bump into her or even brush her in the slightest bit, I leaned my ear as close to her phone as possible, just to hear the person's response on the other end.

"...I'm afraid I'll have to look into that a bit more." That was what the muffled, but definitely female person on the line had said.

Though it wouldn't have made a difference had this mystery person said yes, I couldn't help feeling more than a little disappointed upon hearing that. Pulling a pout, I had to hold back the whine threatening to escape my lips, as I immediately took a safe step away from the phone. Back to a metre distance between us.

"Alright. If you say so." I watched as Nio wore a faint smile and muttered a few more sentences to the other person on the phone. By then, I'd almost tuned out completely. This business didn't have much to do with me anyway.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, turning from the scene. My job here was done, even though I didn't have a job there in the first place. I lifted a foot, stepping forth before lifting the other, beginning to repeat the pattern in the direction I came. However, I was only able to take three small steps before my body was ridden with the sudden rush of a familiar feeling.

All in an instant, the skin covering my entire body felt like it was burning; stinging and aching as it screamed in protest.

Unable to hold back a pained wince, my face contorted as my mind spun and the world around me faltered. I barely had time to put out a foot underneath me to stop my body from swaying and falling to the ground. However, as soon as the action was made, I made the decision that I would have preferred falling onto the ground.

_Crunch._

Ignoring the sensation fuelling my body, I gazed down. I wasn't surprised to see my leg there beneath me, completely visible, warning me that my ability had been cancelled out. My eyes were only wide once I realised I'd stepped directly onto a patch of thick grass. The only problem was that it made a sickeningly loud sound beneath me - one that was most likely audible from Nio's position. I was sure that she was off the phone now also, which only made things worse.

However, my strength could only last so long, and before I knew it, I had crashed onto my knees on the ground. My arms were wrapped around my stomach as I began to curl up, closer to the ground, the burning sensation still present and taking control over my actions. I'd learnt that taking this position on the ground was the best way to dull the pain, even if it wasn't much.

My mind was taken completely from Nio and the conversation I'd just listened to, and had began to focus on getting rid of this uncomfortable, horrible feeling covering my whole body. My eyes were tightly shut, and I could feel them beginning to water with how hard I actually squeezed them together. No matter how many times I'd endured this in the past, I was never going to get used to it.

I wasn't sure which I'd noticed first, but at some point, the pain had suddenly began to fade from my body like it was being drained out by a vacuum, and the sound of footsteps reached my ears. When my strength had returned and I could control myself, I tore an eye open, and then the other, looking about wearily.

'That's _what I get for getting carried away and overusing this damn power...' _Pressing a hand to my forehead in frustration, I'd realised the footsteps had stopped once again. Confusion boiling within me, I slowly turned my head around, deciding to glance over my shoulder.

Saying that I was taken aback by the sight would be quite the understatement.

Standing there, towering right above me, was Nio, wearing a menacing smile that covered her entire face. In the darkness shadowing her face, the only thing I could see clearly were her illuminating, orange eyes, staring at me without a sign of emotion.

That was a sight that was engraved into my memory, and no matter how many times I blinked or tried to look away, the image stayed the same.

Flipped onto my back, I was quick to dart away, pushing myself back with my hands. I could only look up at the other girl with a nervous expression; one that I hoped hid all the unease I felt. Before I could stop it, a laugh escaped my lips, though that was all I was able to do before she spoke up.

"...Takechi-san? I didn't notice you were here. How long ago have you been around for...? I sure hope you only just got here." The dark, sinister tone she spoke in was almost alien to the one I was just listening to. That cheerful girl with no worries had completely disappeared, and it's place, stood this... this _monster._

That was the only word I could use to describe her.

Sweat beading down my forehead, I swallowed, mind drawing a complete blank. Was the conversation really _that _important? It wasn't like I heard anything too confidential... right? Somehow, I still held my doubts, and the fear in my heart still remained. I couldn't muster the words to reply at first, though as soon as another laugh came from me, it seemed to flow so naturally.

"H-Huh...? What difference does it make? I have been here a while, but I didn't even notice you were here, so..." She suddenly took a step towards me, hands clasped behind her back.

"Hm, I guess if I'm just going to see through your lie, then I might as well point out the fact that I made one too, huh?" Her words struck me as almost abstract, something completely uncalled for. But I sat tight, silently staring, ignoring the thumping in my chest. "...you know, no one appreciates being eavesdropped on, Takechi-san. You're going to have to be punished for that... or, I can just make you forget everything you heard. That would work just as well, don't you think...?"

As she loomed closer to me, the shadow occupying her face seemed to intensify. I could only stare into her eyes, no words coming to mind or through my mouth. I was scared. I didn't want to admit it, but I couldn't deny by then. I really was... just scared.

But suddenly, those eyes of her's lightened for a moment. It was like an idea had suddenly popped into her head, and she'd forgotten she wasn't looming over me like a snake about to coil around it's prey. Before I knew it, she was continuing, like that realisation had never occurred to her to begin with. "Oh, but wait! Wouldn't it be more of a punishment for you if I..."

I didn't even have time to analyse what those words could possibly mean, before I lost sight of those sinister eyes. There was no more glow, no more shadow covering her face.

In fact, it wasn't even her face anymore.

In a split second, the figure before me didn't even look like Nio any more. I didn't know how or when it had changed, but all so suddenly, I found myself staring hopelessly back at...

...Shiena.

"I'm sincerely sorry."

At those words, the events around me seemed to blur.

The next thing I knew, my head had collided with the stone pavement, and along with a surge of pain came the darkness of unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N: AAH I AM SO SORRY FOR LEAVING THIS FOR SO LONG. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GO ON HOLIDAYS. YOU LOST WI-FI AND IT'S TERRIBLE. XD**

**But on another note though, I have never been this motivated to write a story in my whole life. I've never enjoyed writing anything as much as I enjoy writing this. Whether it's because of you guys, the feedback, plot or series, I'll never know~**

**Anyway, if you haven't noticed, I am back, and I'm going to try my hardest to make these updates more regular. ^.^**

**In the meantime though, I'll be writing. See you in the next one, and don't forget to leave some comments or show your support~ :D**


	7. Chapter 7: Simple

**Chapter 7: Simple**

* * *

**A/N: EDIT: 10th of November 2014**

**For those of you who have read the chapter prior to the date mentioned above, you might be a little confused. As of now, this chapter has been modified, or re-written, due to my lack of satisfaction with it. The quality is much better now, and the chapter is consequently shorter and more succinct. I recommend re-reading to get a better picture.**

**For those who read this after that date, this means nothing, so continue on with the chapter. XD**

* * *

"Are you serious...? You've _got _to be kidding me..." That's what Kenmochi Shiena muttered to herself with a groan, as she rolled her eyes. Though she was standing in the doorway of her homeroom class, looking over Otoya's empty desk with frustration, she didn't stay put for long. Turning on the ball of her foot, she almost stormed away from the room, not caring for the few glances from her classmates present in the room. She merely left without another word, roaming the hallways of Myojo Academy once more.

"She _said _she'd be back before class starts, and look at the time now...! Moreover, I haven't seen her _anywhere _today." she complained to the air, looking about with a scowl. "Ugh, she said she went out for a stroll too, so that means she could be _anywhere in this damn school. _Perfect!" The brunette threw her hands in the air for emphasis.

"I shouldn't care for that girl as much as I do, I swear... she's my roommate, sure, but she's barely even my friend. Forget that, she barely treats me like a friend would, anyway. Why _am _I looking for her...? It's her problem if she doesn't come to class." Her anger had began to fizzle out, replaced with a sense of disappointment, as her legs guided her through the school. She still had no idea where she was going, or where she should even be looking.

She walked in silence for a few more minutes, taking unorganised turns whenever she felt it was necessary. Peeking into almost every classroom, or special facility on a number of different floors, her search for Otoya continued, without a single worry filling her mind.

"Geez... I never will understand that girl..." After the passing of many, long minutes, the girl paused. She let out a sigh through her nostrils, leaning up against an empty classroom door as she stared at her phone's screen. "...nearly 5 past, huh? That means class has already started..." she muttered. Knowing her carefree homeroom teacher, it wouldn't matter if she was a few minutes late, so she could spare a few more moments.

Shiena was tired of searching the entire school hopelessly though, without a single clue or destination in mind. Wasting her energy and time for someone who was likely to bring more frustration to her upon being found wasn't something she was particularly fond of. Pressing a finger to her red-rimmed lenses, she pushed a few buttons on her phone, before lifting it up to her ear.

"Guess all I can do is... well, call her, really. Why didn't I do this first...?" Before she could scold herself for being so stupid though, she shook her head, letting the emotion go.

Quietly, her phone rung in her ear, humming as it vibrated with each tone. She kept an arm crossed against her chest as she looked around her, almost expecting the raven girl to pop around the corner and surprise her at any minute.

However, the ringing in her ear was the only thing that broke the silence. Even then, after a few seconds, a pre-recorded message played through her phone, right after the ringing had ended.

_"The person you have tried to call is unavailable. Please try again, or leave a message after th-"_

_Beep. _With another groan, Shiena hung up, head leaning right back against the door. She stared at the ceiling in silence, beginning to shut her eyes. "Where on Earth could you possibly be...?" she mumbled, wearing a frown. Moments passed by the girl in complete silence though, and Shiena knew she had to return to class before it was too late. "...ah, well... It's not like it matters, anyway." she dismissed, finally detaching herself from the door. "I've got one more floor to cover. Then I can go back to class... you know, where I'm supposed to be."

Turning in the reverse direction to where her classroom was located, she began to approach a pair of spiral staircases instead. Since she had no drive or motivation left in her body concerning her search for Otoya, she merely trudged up the first staircase, eyes hanging low to the ground.

She didn't even think about approaching the second staircase, however.

She stopped.

She didn't need to head up to the final floor of the academy to finish her search.

Eyes shaking, palms sweating, and face frozen with despair, Shiena stumbled back. Not a single word left her mouth, body too ridden with horror for her to focus on something like her voice. Her back crashed into the white wall behind her with a loud thud, balance almost being knocked from her completely.

_'H... Huh? What is... this?' _The words rebounded in her mind, seeming to drown out all the sound around her as she stared. She just stared at the floor in front of her, and at what - no, at _who _she found lying there, in a crimson pool of blood.

She found Otoya.

The worse part was though, her head looked like it had just been split open. With blood dripping down her forehead and onto her face, staining the floor, she breathed heavily. Her wound was far from clean too, as the skin was torn right open and revealing too much underneath.

The sight was unbearable for the other girl - everything had come all too quickly, and she barely had enough time to settle herself down. Her body was trembling, and her hands had flown over her mouth in disgust. This wasn't like anything she'd prepared herself for at all.

Then, suddenly, the other's face twitched. Her eyes began to peel open. In the room filled with darkness, her dull eyes were noticed by her roommate. It was becoming clear to the both of the girls, that...

My consciousness was returning.

It didn't help my immense headache when I opened my eyes, and realised the world around me was on an angle. I tried my best to make sense of everything around me, even with how strangely I was positioned. Considering how I could see what was presumably the ceiling, I assumed I was on the floor.

_'Oh, yeah...' _The words slowly came to me, seeping out of the cloud that covered my thoughts. _'I... what exactly happened, anyway...?' _I could barely see in the corner of my eye a staircase, which matched up with the hazy memories that came to me. Slowly, as my bearings came back to me and the feeling of unconsciousness slipped further and further away from me, I'd begun to piece things together.

I'd been walking around the school on my own, and when I turned up at the botanical gardens, I found someone else there. Someone else, who was on the phone. I'd decided to listen to their conversation for whatever reason, and after that... Nio knocked me out. Nio... or was it Shiena? The image of Shiena towering over me remained in my head, making no sense among the rest of memories of Nio that I had.

Everything still felt fuzzy. I didn't understand most of what I'd remembered.

But, enough of all that. There was something else that was bugging me, and it had nothing to do with my memories or my headache.

It was the other object in my blurry vision; one that took up the majority of my field of sight, actually. I hadn't thought about it earlier since I hadn't been able to identify what it was exactly, but with the more I blinked and widened my eyes, the more clear everything became.

There was no doubt about it any more - that was Shiena, standing above me, looking like she'd just seen a ghost.

But, I'm sure that for a split moment upon realising that, I wore the same horrified expression. As images of her flashed in my mind - ones of when she first gave me this throbbing injury - I couldn't help but let my unease show. She'd been the one to put me in this pain, this position in the first place, right? This was all her fault, right...?

Or was it Nio's...? I still had no idea. I didn't know how Shiena and Nio could switch places that quickly, if I'd remembered wrong, or if I had eavesdropped on Shiena the entire time. I couldn't tell, especially not with how much of an array my mind was in. Everything was scrambled, jumbled up - I chose not to think about anything, and focused on whatever was in front of me.

Eyes slowly coming up to meet her's, all traces of fear vanished from my face as I let out a rugged breath. The words that came out were beyond breathy, and I was sure the exhaustion I felt was proven in my lifeless tone - if it wasn't obvious enough already by my physical appearance.

"...Shiena...-chan?" I croaked, eyelids lowering, due to a lack of energy. "...ah... it's really y-you..."

For a long while, I didn't get any kind of response. I could barely see it, but I was sure she continued to stare at me in terror, dread showing on all parts of her body. She was quivering, wore wide eyes, tensed up, everything. She was the very image of being terrified.

And yet, somehow, her nerves had piled up so much that she wore a smile. "...Otoya...?" I could tell every emotion she felt was being bottled up, and the only thing that came from her was a forced laugh. "I didn't... actually mean to run into you here, but..." Stopping mid-sentence, she glanced over her shoulder. It must have been her underlying paranoia causing her to act so stiffly.

Then, her smile faded. Her face paled, and I knew that act was no more.

_"Otoya, what the hell happened to you!?"_

That's what she screamed through the corridors, echoing in the narrow staircases we were surrounded by. Even then, the sound barely reached my ears and registered to me. My mind barely wanted to pick it up. I could barely even keep my eyes open then, the familiarity of sleep tugging at my consciousness, beckoning me to return.

I tried to move my lips and whisper a response, to keep her from worrying, but no sound came from my mouth. Everything began to blur again, warping and deforming in front of me. My mouth quivered and twitched, but that was all I managed to do before darkness overcame my vision again. I had to battle with all my will to keep myself awake, to make sure I didn't lose myself again...

"S-Seriously, what in the... most importantly, who did this to you? Shit..." I'm sure that, although she was more than concerned for my health, she noticed my falling and rising eyelids. I was struggling to keep awake, I really was, and it was clearly noticeable. "This is bad, this is bad, this is really, _really bad...! Oi, we need to get to the infirmary, okay? O-Otoya?"_

But as she continued, I found the struggle overcome me. My eyelids were too heavy, and my body was throbbing too much to battle - and so, as the words of Shiena drowned out of my hearing, my world was coated in darkness once more.

Otoya's body went limp, her shaking coming to a halt as she lost consciousness. Shiena could only stand about, staring in horror as she ignored the confusion that was dwelling within her. She didn't know how to deal with this, she didn't know how to deal with it at all. She was lost, she was on her own, it was all up to her. Otoya was hurt and it was all up to her to get help.

Shiena didn't have the physical capabilities to carry her friend. Since the other had been knocked out completely, she couldn't half-drag her to the infirmary, either. She doubted she had time to run and get someone else's help, too. The amount of blood loss was steadily increasing. The number of options the girl had was steadily decreasing.

She simply didn't know what to do.

She didn't know what to do.

And so, she did all she could.

"...h-hey... someone's gotta... gotta be around here, right...? Right... okay, well... okay..." she began muttering, taking deep breaths.

She covered her ears. And then, with all her breath...

. . .

Leaning back in my chair, I, Haruki Sagae, yawned, pulling my arms up behind my head. I let my fingers sit through my red strands of curly hair, as I happily chewed on a stick of chocolate Pocky. Ah, food in the morning was one of the best feelings in the world - even if my roommate tried to argue that Pocky wasn't 'real food'.

As I sat in homeroom with boredom written all over me, I waited silently, watching over Mizorogi-sensei as he sorted through his folders. At the front of the room is where he sat, looking over his desk with a lingering, proud smile. He always had the same look, that guy. Despite being associated with and left the responsibility of looking over us deformities, he was always in such high spirits.

Though some could say I acted in a similar way, I was still fascinated by his attitude, nonetheless.

Ears set to their maximum range, since most classrooms within 30m were empty or quietly undergoing homeroom like us, I hummed to myself. There certainly wasn't anything interesting in the classroom, so I had nothing better to be doing.

I turned my head to gaze out the window across the room, wearing a faint smile. _'Eeh? Today looks pretty clear out, actually. It's nice.' _I commented, though I couldn't care less about the weather. See, when the weather becomes interesting, you know that something boring is definitely going on around you.

_'Man, I could have sworn that this morning it was-' _But my thoughts were cut short by something definitely _far _from boring.

Moments before, what filled my ears was mostly silence. But in those few seconds, something else reached me.

. . .

"...please, somebody... _heeelp!"_

Those were the words that tore through the raw throat of that despairing girl, as she had done many times before in her life. If she had learnt anything from her past experiences of bullying and all the times she'd been left behind, it was that...

...no one would ever hear her plea.

That's exactly why when, only a few minutes of struggle later, Shiena was stunned to hear footsteps. The sound grew louder and louder, thumping becoming closer as she listened closely. It could have been coincidence, or someone had seriously heard her - either way, Shiena held onto her hope that she would somehow overcome this situation.

The footsteps didn't slow down once, coming closer and closer with every patter. Only a few brief moments later, did Shiena not have to listen to them any more.

Much to her disbelief, right before her eyes was a figure, another person rushing straight towards her. They weren't a complete stranger, either. She was sure she recognised this person; was sure she'd seen those willing eyes before. The closer they came into view, the clearer things became.

The person she saw was me, Haruki. After hearing her call in the middle of class, I didn't want to waste time, and I bolted out on a search. I wasn't sure who it was that needed help, but I was going to offer it to them, no matter the cost. Surely enough, after a few minutes of straight running, I found my target.

"Kenmochi...? What's going on?" I demanded, ready to tackle whatever was up ahead. As I made my way up the stairs, I locked gazes with the other girl. She looked about as surprised as I did, as I approached.

"Sagae..." she uttered my name like it was some fantasy, and she was dreaming. I didn't mind, in fact, I didn't really pay it any attention. As I tuned my hearing back to a normal human range, I finally observed the staircase.

And that's where I found the problem.

Or rather, the person.

Seeing Takechi collapsed and bleeding out on the ground was not a pretty sight - and neither was the wound, in particular.

"W-Woah, eww, what the hell happened here...!?" Without thinking, the words spilt from my mouth, though regret came over me as they did so. I was sure that question wasn't helping, as from the looks of things, Shiena wanted to know the answer to that as well. Trying to regain myself and pry my eyes away from the horrid scene, I swallowed, taking a breath. "A-Actually, scratch that. Ignore it, forget I ever said that. Takechi. Infirmary. Now." Those were the orders I spat as I looked back over at Shiena, who looked to be on the verge of collapsing, herself.

"H-Huh? How... are you going to..." Without bothering to answer her question, I held my breath, rushing to Takechi's side and kneeling down. I knew her blood would stain my clothes if I moved her head too close to my body, but it was worth the sacrifice. Gathering myself, I placed my arms underneath her limp body, lifting it off the ground to cradle her in a bridal position.

Shiena didn't seem to need an explanation either, staring in disbelief for a moment before nodding her head. "Lead the way, if you could. I don't actually know where I'm going, but I'll go there as fast as I can." I called out to her. I was glad she was coming to wear the same serious, determined expression as I.

"Right. Hurry..." And with those words, she began running down the stairs, rushing through the hallways. With Takechi in tow, I could do nothing but follow her every move, pushing away my thoughts and my doubts as I continued running towards the infirmary.

By the time we finally reached the infirmary - the deformity-specific infirmary, apparently - my arms and legs were beginning to ache. Takechi wasn't easy to carry while running through a large school, even with my physical capabilities. Needless to say, as soon as we stepped inside, I felt a rush of relief.

Shiena had grown more frantic as time passed us by, knowing Takechi's blood was draining from her head with every minute. Still, I was glad to see her finally take deep breaths once we found an empty bed inside the white-walled room. Setting the other down carefully, I wasted no time in getting her medical attention as soon as possible.

"Oi! Hey, doctors, we've got an injured one over here...!" The infirmary was empty, save for two other doctors in the room, and so I shouted across to them, gaining their attention. I was sure they didn't appreciate my volume, but this was an emergency. Ever heard of someone who whispers during an emergency? Me neither.

Anyway, they muttered to themselves, eyebrows knitting in concern. Dressed in white coats, they hastily made their way over to our bedside, avoiding Shiena and I. Their eyes were focused on the injured girl on the bed - which was where they should have been, thankfully enough. One of the doctors hurried off, probably in search of supplies, leaving the other to begin an examination, or whatever. I wasn't sure as to what they were doing, but as long as they were working to keep Takechi breathing, I didn't care what they did.

Shiena and I stood on the same side of the bed, a metre or so away, as to make room for the doctors at work. We could only watch from afar as they continued, stiff in our positions and the silence around us. The shuffling of my feet wasn't enough to take the thick atmosphere away, either.

At that moment though, I suddenly realised where I was supposed to be - you know, in class. My eyes were wide as the words came to me, and I found no words coming from my mouth. I was stunned. _'How long have I spent here?' _Dread filled me when I could only reply with, _'I have no idea.'_

However, as if to further push my bad luck, I heard Shiena clear her throat beside me. She nervously rubbed her arms, holding them to her chest as she stared at the floor through an unreadable expression. "Hey, um... Sagae, I just wanted to-"

"Save it." The girl suddenly looked up at me with surprised, blinking eyes, right after I interrupted. I'd expected the words to come, and replied before she could say them. "If it's a thanks you want to give me, then yeah... you can save it, alright?"

"H-Huh...?" And somehow through it all, I wore a smile, as I met her gaze through the corner of my eye.

"I, uh... I need to go back to class right now, actually. I'm probably being suspected of doing something, so... as much as I hate to, I might need to take my leave." I explained. She listened with an understanding nod. "As soon as class is over though, I'm gonna drop back in here, okay? So hold on for that long for me. I'll be right back."

"Right... I think I can do that." And with that exchange of words and nods, I pushed past the doctors and Takechi, and made my way out the door. With my feet tapping against the tiled ground, I let out a sigh, heading for class with a smile across my face.

"...Sagae-san? What took you so long? Does a trip to the bathroom really take that long?" Mizorogi-sensei immediately confronted me as I stepped through the doorway.

I froze.

"U-Uh..."

. . .

Turns out, that entire class, I couldn't focus on my work. I couldn't have cared less for every question I'd skipped, and all the times I'd made spelling mistakes when copying down notes. I was thinking about the two other girls in the infirmary the entire lesson. Needless to say, as soon as the end of class finally came, I felt a wave of relief hit me like never before.

But, that feeling only lasted until the moment I stepped out the classroom door. Leaving all the chatter and noise of the other girls behind me, I kept a straight face, breathing deeply with one destination in the front of my mind.

_The infirmary._

And so, after nearly 10 minutes of pushing through crowds, reading signs and recalling those hazy memories of earlier that day, I'd arrived back at the infirmary.

There seemed to only be two people inside the whole room - two people, who's faces I felt relieved to see again, all in one piece. Takechi, the injured girl from before was still sleeping on a nearby bed, though neatly tucked underneath the covers. She wore a neatly wrapped bandage on her head too, which I assumed hadn't been applied too long ago.

Then there was Shiena, sitting by her bedside with an expression much more collected than before. She waited silently, wearing a gentle smile on her face, seeming to ignore the to empty chair next to her.

But, that chair wasn't empty for long. Wearing an expression to match her's, I plopped down beside her, surprising her with my presence. I waved. "Hey. Told you I'd be back." I greeted, keeping my tone hushed, just in case. She looked at me with wide eyes, before easing, and giving a hesitant smile.

"Oh, hey. So you did." Now that she was speaking, I could tell that Shiena was much more collected than before. She seemed quite relaxed. I could only Assume there wasn't any bad news to further come from this situation, and that things were beginning to shape up.

The room fell silent, but I knew that from those few words...

Everything was going to be okay.

"Say, Kenmochi," I suddenly spoke out of the blue, voice calm in the quiet atmosphere. I didn't glance over at said girl, but I knew it'd grabbed her attention. "Has Takechi-san woken up yet at all...?" The question hung in the room for a while, allowing the other to ponder before speaking up.

"She... no, she hasn't." she responded, almost in a disappointed tone. "Although, those doctors from before did say she was in a pretty stable condition, so... maybe soon." I saw no reason as to why she wouldn't wake up soon, if she was in a stable condition. I nodded along with her words.

"Alright then... somehow, I have a feeling that you don't know, so I won't bother asking for details on what happened." I muttered, letting my thoughts flow from my mouth. She sighed, shaking her head as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought.

"Nope, I don't have a clue. My curiosity's been tearing at me this entire time, actually..." she explained. "I need Otoya to wake up, obviously to know that she's okay, but... I think I really need to know what happened as well."

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, it could have been anything, really."

"That's the problem... we don't even know if it was another person, or if Otoya got involved in some accident, or what."

"Yeah..." After that, we came to a dead end again, and the two of us sat in silence. We waited, and though neither of us mentioned it exactly, we knew what we were waiting for.

We were waiting for Otoya to wake up.

Minutes passed by without us noticing, before our voices filled the room once more, Shiena being the first to speak up. We still hadn't exchanged glances ever since I first walked into the white-walled room. "Say, Sagae..." Just by the softer, hesitant tone she used, I could tell there wasn't any particularly cheerful statement or question to come. "Why... why _did _you help out, back there...?"

The question still left me without any thoughts though, and I blinked. I didn't know what to say to that. Strangely enough, the girl continued. "I mean, it wasn't like you absolutely had to... neither of us are important to you, or anything - not that I know of, anyway. And plus, we're just classmates, so..." but she trailed off, letting out a deep breath. "...how did you... know we were there, anyway?"

Despite the serious tone and the need of an answer from Shiena, I wore a smile, chuckling to myself. It wasn't that I wasn't taking this seriously, or that I was amused in any way - what I felt was hard to explain. I knew I felt proud of myself, although not for being the hero and saving the day, or any stupid reason like that. All I wanted to do was make use of the ability that labelled me as an outcast, after all. It was that simple.

I was that simple.

And so, I found that everything I said and did, was nothing but... simple.

Playing with the hair at the back of my neck, I let out a puff of air. "Ah, well... it's a pretty long story. Do you really want me to explain it all? Entirely?" Judging by Shiena's complete eye contact, I knew I didn't need to hear her response.

"Well, who knows how long we'll have to wait here for her to wake up. Take as long as you need, I'm all ears."

Seeing that as my cue, I stared right ahead of me, keeping my eyes on the bed. Releasing the tension in my shoulders, I puffed out my chest. "Alright, then. Here goes..." From there, I began retelling my story from the beginning. I explained to her my ability and it's limitations, and how I heard her plea during class. I explained how I didn't care who it was, I was willing to help anyone to prove deformities weren't just monsters. I wanted to help and give them a hand.

The other girl just patiently listened, giving signs of recognition every so often. Her eyes looked intrigued, showing interest in what I had to say, which was comforting enough. I kept going until I had no further words to say. By the time I was finished, she still looked fascinated.

"Oh, say, I just had a thought, Sagae." she mentioned, as soon as I'd drawn to a close.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Concerning your power, and all that." she began. "I was just thinking of that fight we had, a day or so ago... you know, when I figured out you had a power, I never thought it was something like that."

"E-Eh? What's _that _supposed to mean? Actually, never mind, I know it's lame, so... but, actually, I've been meaning to ask about that ever since. How _did _you figure it out, anyway...?"

"Ah, I had a conversation about this not too long ago with Otoya. An ability like Electricity Absorption... it's more useful than you might think. See, although I have to make contact with something to gain it's energy, it doesn't have to be an electrical device. It just has to produce a current. Do you follow?" I nodded my head, allowing her to continue. "And, well, my ability isn't supposed to work on people... I can't take electrons from people's brains, or anything like that - and yet, when I made contact with you and set off my ability, I absorbed something."

"So... what does that mean, exactly?"

"Well, from what we've gathered, it means your body was exerting some kind of... extra current or waves, something like that. Whatever it was, no normal human has it, and I picked it up, so... yeah. It lead me to the conclusion that you weren't the human, since it's not normally possible to do something like that." With her explanation, I was astonished. I'd never thought about the scientific explanations for all our abilities, and although this was far from one, this was the closest I'd ever gotten. Eyes wide, I blinked, show-casing a wide smile.

"Woah..." I spoke, voice as fascinated as Shiena looked earlier. "That's... actually really impressive."

"Huh? You really think so...?"

"Well, yeah! From that alone, I think we just found out how my ability actually works, so..." Despite my lack of schooling prior to Myojo Academy, I had quite the amount of knowledge. Piecing together the information I already knew and the information Shiena just shared, I came to a conclusion. "...I guess somehow, to enhance or lessen my hearing, my body emits... Extra or less waves or whatever, and it picks up more or less sound accordingly. Does that sound right?"

"Yeah, I'd say so."

But, before either of us could get another word in, a mumbled groan from ahead caught us off guard.

Takechi.

Like they snapped into place, our heads were immediately turned towards the girl in the bed, eyes beaming with curiosity and worry mixed into one bright emotion. We didn't want to overwhelm the other girl in any way, but when the long-awaited awakening had finally arrived, we couldn't help but feel excited.

"A-Ah... Shiena... -chan...?" Those were the first words to come from the girl's mouth as she slowly peered her eyes open, blinking slowly as she looked around. Her gaze flickered around the room with each blink she took, though eventually they settled on the face of her closest friend. Not wanting to interrupt their moment, I kept back, not saying a word.

"Otoya, you're awake..." The other muttered, face easing in relief. I could distinctly see the stress release from her body as she smiled down at the other, eyes still hung with a hint of sadness. "...hey, I don't want you to force yourself or anything, but... how are you feeling?"

Takechi paused. Each of her movements and reactions seemed sluggish, almost like her life was lagging behind our's. It was understandable, given the situation, though. "I... I'm okay. It's cloudy, small headache... but okay."

At those words, Shiena released a deep breath. She had been holding it for a while, and I assumed that was all the reassurance she needed to know the other was okay. I couldn't help but smile at the interaction between the two.

Just as I felt I was watching a touching scene from a movie, with fitting, gentle piano music even accompanying it in my head, I heard my name being called.

"O-Oh, Sagae-san's here too...?" That was the croak that came from Takechi, as I glanced down at her. I wore a friendly smile, giving a slow wave as a greeting.

"Yeah, hey." I muttered, though Shiena was quick to talk right after me. It must have been confusing for Takechi to wake up and see a random classmate sitting beside her, so I couldn't blame her for questioning it.

"Ah, yeah... Sagae actually helped me out earlier. If it weren't for her, you probably wouldn't have made it to the infirmary... err, early enough. I guess we've been taking care of you together." Noticing Takechi glance at me, I quickly nodded with her words, supporting them. She seemed to ease in her position, resting her eyes closed with a deep breath.

"Okay... that sounds really nice of you... both of you." Takechi mumbled. It was clear on all parts of her body that she was exhausted. She hadn't moved her body at all since she woke up, and her eyes were struggling to keep open. I was sure Shiena had already noticed though, as she'd taken on a more concerned expression than earlier.

"Yeah..." she responded in a gentle tone, before raising her volume slightly. "Say, Otoya... don't keep yourself up if you don't want to, okay? Ah, you know what...? You should probably get some rest. It's been rough, so... we can catch up on everything later, when you feel better." She sounded very sincere and caring with her words, causing my smile to stretch across my face. These two really were closer than I thought.

Takechi let out another deep breath, almost as if she was having trouble breathing as she peered open one eye. Looking up at Shiena, she gave a meek nod, before speaking up. "Actually, yeah... more rest would be nice, right now..."

The brunette smiled. "Then go ahead and rest, silly. We'll be right here beside you when you wake up again, okay...?"

And this time, Takechi wore a gentle smile as well. "...okay. Thank you, Shiena-chan..." With those quiet words, the girl closed her eyes once more. It wasn't long before she drifted back into a deep sleep, body working to heal itself while her consciousness faded.

That left Shiena and I in the silence of the infirmary, grinning as we looked straight ahead of us. The room wasn't silent for long, however - the other had different plans and words to say, it seemed.

"Hey, Sagae...?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"I guess I can... say what I wanted to now, right?" At first, I didn't know what she meant. My mind went completely blank. If it weren't for the sudden memory from earlier hitting me, then I would have stayed confused.

"I guess so, yeah. I'm not gonna stop you." I responded with a light-hearted laugh, hands held freely behind my head. Taking that as her cue, she inhaled. Neither of us looked over at the other as the conversation continued on.

"Ugh, this is going to sound really weird, but... I... thanks for helping me back there... seriously. If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what I would have done. I feel like I owe you something, I really do. I'm grateful, Sagae..."

At her heart-felt words though, I let out another chuckle. I waved a hand beside me in dismissal. "Aww, come on. No need to put it like that. I was just helping out a fellow classmate, yeah?" I replied, beaming with pride. "But, if you really want to thank me that badly... I guess I can say, it was no problem."

The other girl shook her head, though I could tell she was still smirking in amusement. She sighed. Before she could speak though, another thought reached me, and immediately poured out from my mouth.

"Oh, and one more thing, though." I suddenly called. "You don't have to keep calling me 'Sagae', or whatever. Just 'Haruki' is fine, alright?"

At my words, Shiena seemed almost shocked, pausing completely as she stared forward. She hesitated, taking a moment to reply as she spoke with disbelief in her tone. "Wha... just 'Haruki'? You're fine with me calling you that?"

"Of course I am. I wouldn't have said it otherwise, you know." I commented.

"U-Um, okay then...! Haruki... Haruki it is." she announced, with a nod.

"Does this mean I can call you just Shiena, too...?"

"Y-You want to call me that?"

"Only if that's okay, of course! I'll call you whatever you want me to, I don't really mind. That was probably obvious, though."

"Ah, n-no, I, uh... actually, just 'Shiena' is fine..."

"Eh? Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously..."

"Alright then, Shiena." And with another bright smile my arms fell by my side. I knew there was one more thing I needed to do to bond with Shiena, though - one more important factor.

Without a word, I extended my wrist out beside me, out towards the other girl as I held a loose fist. She stared at it for a moment, blinking as she tried to recognise what it was that I was offering. As soon as she figured it out, she raised an eyebrow.

"A wrist-bump? Really?" she questioned, seeming to doubt me. "You know, these kind of gestures aren't really my thing..."

I laughed, looking straight forward, wrist still extended. "Really, now? Well, they're totally mine, so you're gonna have to bear with me."

The sound of Shiena's laugh brought a sense of joy about in my chest.

So, this is what it's like to have a friend.

"Thanks a lot, Haruki."

"No problem at all, Shiena."

And, with those words, our wrists connected side-by-side.

* * *

**A/N: Woohoo for better-written Shiena and Haruki bro-moments! XD**

**Anyway, I apologise for not giving an update sooner. An edit doesn't really count as an update, but the chapter is pretty different now, so... please bear with me? ^^; I'll try to pick up the pace!**

**Until then, feel free to leave any feedback or thoughts! I love all of you. ;v;**

**See you in the next one~!**


	8. Chapter 8: Slow

**Chapter 8: Slow**

* * *

**A/N: I FEEL BAD FOR LEAVING THIS FOR A MONTH. I'M SORRY. SCHOOL SUCKS AND SO DOES WRITER'S BLOCK, BUT I'M BACK. ;w;**

**Have this new chapter. Hopefully you haven't given up on me, 'coz I haven't given up on this story either! :'D**

* * *

The next time I woke up, I had completely lost track of time. The windows of the infirmary weren't exactly visible from where I lay. In fact, the only thing I could manage to see was the ceiling. Grumbling under my breath, I let out a deep breath of air. My body still felt sluggish, and the world around me seemed hazy - although I knew that if I didn't make an attempt to wake up and return to reality, I would only continue to feel that way.

Grateful for the lack of hair covering my forehead (there was a bandage there instead), I slowly came to widen my eyes. The light of the room began to assault my vision, causing me to squint for a minute or so, before I completely opened my eyes.

Being the last clear memory I could recall, I expected both Sagae and Shiena to be sitting beside my bed, waiting for me as I looked around - but only the latter of the two was present. Her brown eyes weren't focused on me, either. I could only assume she hadn't realised I was awake, despite how much shuffling and groaning I'd made.

_'That's Shiena-chan for you.' _I dismissed with an amused smile, slowly blinking. My eyelids were quite heavy, and it was tiresome to keep them open. I still fought sleep with all my might though, unwilling to do anything but stay awake.

As my thoughts dragged out, I let out a deep sigh. This was what finally caught the brunette's attention as she glanced over at me, blinking in surprise, from what I could see. With my head only partially tilted towards her side of the bed, I couldn't actually see much besides the ceiling very well. A smile was quick to replace that expression however, and she glanced to me with soft eyes.

"Oh, 'morning. Well, it's not actually morning, but yeah..." she greeted, awkwardly glancing aside before meeting my lazy gaze. Ignoring the constant thumping of lingering pain in my forehead, I breathed through my nose, continuing to pry my eyes open.

"Nice to see you too, Shiena-chan..." I muttered, cringing at how dry my voice sounded. As shivers ran down my spine - I'd realised then that my body actually felt quite warm in bed - Shiena looked at me, wide-eyed, as if she'd realised it herself.

"How do you feel...? Do you need anything? I'm, uh... I'm willing to help you out, you know." she offered. I had to say, it was strange, seeing Shiena care for me, even considering the circumstances. If only I had the breath, I would have laughed at the adorable sight. I meekly waved my hand by the bedside and shook my head.

"I'm okay. I... don't feel as bad. Um, a drink of water might be nice, though..." Although my tone had dropped to a mere whisper, Shiena heard it clearly, standing with a nod of her head. She was still wearing a smile, despite how worried she looked - it was nice.

"Alright." With that, she disappeared out of my line of sight, and into the rest of the infirmary. I didn't mind being alone at all, merely waiting patiently for the other girl to return. My head was clear - well, thought-wise, of course. It was still throbbing - and so, time seemed to drag on slowly around me. An hour seemed to have passed when the girl returned, though I knew it had probably only been a few minutes.

As she came into sight again, I flopped my head straight onto the pillow, gazing forward without a tilt. It made it easier to notice the glass of water in her hands. Seeing the world at a strange tilt only just having opened my eyes wasn't the best thing, after all.

"Um, here." she spoke again, standing beside me. "I... you might have to sit up, you know." Sitting up. The process seemed to require too much energy for me at that stage; even the thought of it made me feel sluggish. But, the idea of drinking water seemed refreshing for my health, as well. I guess sacrifices had to be made.

"Right, right... give me _oooone _moment." I replied with a weak smile, eyes scanning everywhere in my vision. I tried to avoid Shiena's concerned eyes, since meeting them always triggered a pang of guilt, but since I didn't know what I was looking for, it was difficult.

Before I could dwell on any of my feelings though, in the corner of my eyes, I spotted a green controller attached to the bed. Apparently, Shiena was following my eyes, since she spoke up about it almost as soon as I'd laid my eyes on it. How observant.

"You can, um... you know, tilt the bed up, if that's too hard for you right now. I don't want you to force yourself or anything, so... you can go ahead." she offered. Keeping my eyes glued to the buttons, one with a down arrow and one with an up, I blinked.

"Ooh, I get to use the controller-thingy, do I...?" I joked, still feeling dryness in my throat. I could only imagine Shiena's facepalm, had this been a less serious situation.

"Yeah. You do." she bluntly responded, probably with a roll of her eyes. My smile widened across my cheeks, and I let out a breath of air, resembling a giggle. I probably sounded about as terrible as I felt, but I couldn't help that.

"I thought these things were only in hospitals. Kinda fancy, having one here at a school." I commented, in an innocent matter. However, the almost disappointed look Shiena returned to me seemed to suggest otherwise.

"Well... it's not like we can take you to a proper hospital. You know... they wouldn't treat _us, _so this is the best we can get." she explained. I could see the sadness hidden behind her faint smile, something that I wasn't fond of seeing. It wasn't hard to notice, so I felt I had to drop the subject there and then.

"Oh well."

Grateful for only needing to concentrate energy into my arm, I then reached over towards the interesting controller-thingy, fingers resting lightly on the buttons. It didn't require much force to press the 'up' one down, (ha ha, the irony) and for the bed's tilt to follow. Though shaky at first, it steadily adjusted and began to stiffen upwards, allowing me to sit up against the back of the bed. I stopped before I reached a complete 90 degree angle - if it would even reach that angle.

Turning my head the other direction to meet Shiena's eyes, my smile twitched. "Okay. My moment's up." Although I noticed her smile falter somewhat as she did so, Shiena offered the glass to me, holding it steady.

"Alright... here. Just don't spill it, okay? I'm not gonna clean it up." And even though her voice was as firm as ever, and she showed no signs of having been joking, I giggled once more. My eyes were, at that point, finally cooperating with me and staying open on will.

"Right, right, Shiena-chaaan." I waved off, as I raised a hand to take the glass. Like the bed was, I was shaking at first, but once I had a firm grip on it, I was fine. It wasn't that heavy, surprisingly enough, and I raised it to my dry lips with ease. Due to how much my throat and stomach was thirsting for water, I'd managed to empty the glass, before handing it back to Shiena. Muttering a small thanks, she nodded and returned it from wherever it came from, coming back into vision moments later.

My stomach felt full, and somehow, I felt content as I glanced over at Shiena. She'd taken a seat beside my bed again. Glancing over at the spare chair beside her, I blinked. My thoughts were practically amplified in the silence that now covered us, and so, it wasn't long before they spilled out to form into words.

"Sagae's not here, huh...?" I pointed out, eyes lingering on the empty seat before wandering to meet my roommate's eyes. Her body seemed to twitch at the mention of the other's name, almost as if she'd forgotten she existed - or something like that.

"Oh, yeah. She had to answer a call a while back and left, but... I guess she hasn't come back."

"I don't think phone calls are supposed to take that long, but okay." I dismissed. What Sagae was up to was none of my business, even if I did have to owe her a thanks, or something. Sure, I was grateful she'd (apparently) helped out in taking me to the infirmary, but that was it. She was just another classmate.

"Yeah... it looked really urgent, but... nothing we can do." she brushed off, sighing. And, with those words hanging in the air, the infirmary fell into another deep silence. Neither of us had anything to say, add or ask, and it wasn't like I had the total energy to try and spark an entirely new conversation, anyway.

We sat like that, without exchanging words for quite some time. Without a clock in sight, I wasn't able to tell exactly how long it was. My mind was too fuzzy to guess too, and so I didn't pay it much thought.

Needless to say, I was a little surprised when Shiena spoke up so suddenly, cutting the atmosphere in half. "Hey, Otoya...?" She looked serious, glancing to the side. I blinked.

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Um, this probably isn't the best time to ask, but it's really been bugging me, s-so..." Mumbling, she paused, heaving a deep breath of air. Almost as if gathering herself, she slowly glanced up towards me, meeting my oblivious gaze. "I... I want to know what happened to you. I mean, if you don't want to tell me or can't or anything, that's fine, I just...!" She frowned, courage seeming to drain as she looked to the floor. "...I've been worried, okay...? The doctors won't tell me what damage has been done, but... I know for sure that incidents like this don't just happen on their own."

As if those words set off a trigger in the back of my brain, a rush of memories came flooding into my head. I stared, dazed, back at Shiena, emotion drained from my face. _The botanical gardens, flowers, sounds, Nio, then Shiena, the kick and the act of falling unconscious. _I'd remembered all of it so vividly.

"O-Otoya? You don't have to tell me, I was just... saying..." The call of my name brought me back into reality, snapping my thoughts away as I blinked rapidly. A small, "huh?" escaped my lips as I looked around, waving a hand of dismissal back at the other girl.

"Oh, right, right! You don't need to be... you don't need to be so uptight and worried, Shiena-chan. It's fine. I mean, I don't know... exactly what happened, but... I can tell you." The words came out so stiffly, so full of nerves and uncertainty, and yet the brunette eased. She paused for a moment, before leaning back in her seat, and sighing again.

We seemed to draw a blank again there, falling into a small silence as we both waited. I didn't know where to start, and Shiena probably didn't know what to ask or whether to wait for me to begin. But, after a while, we did escape our small dilemma.

"So... you went out for a walk this morning." Shiena brought up, clasping her hands together as she looked up at me attentively. I nodded my head, smile fading to a neutral frown. As I recalled everything that happened, I glanced at the blank sheets covering my body.

"Yes, I did. I see you saw my note." I chimed, flashing a small smile before it faded away - for the rest of the explanation. "I headed out early, obviously, and... well, I went wherever my legs took me. I didn't know where I was going..."

And from there, I explained everything that happened to me.

I told Shiena of how I ended up in the botanical gardens, of how I'd eavesdropped on Nio's phone conversation. I told her of how I'd activated my powers, only to have my cover blown and my burning, over-use mechanism was activated. I made sure to tell her how, just before being knocked unconscious, Nio's figure was replaced with Shiena's, and somehow, she was standing over me instead.

Of course, I also told her of how I'd tried roaming the school grounds after I woke up, only to collapse in the hallway without making a single floor, but that strange act of replacement involving her and Nio was what struck us both the most.

That's what we conversed about.

"Huh? I still don't understand..." Shiena spoke, shaking her head. "I wasn't involved in any of this, I didn't even know any of this happened, so, so...!"

"Hey, Shiena-chan, calm down." I muttered, much more composed than my roommate. She paused, looking up at me. "I... I know. I trust you, okay...? I know you don't have anything to do with this." I began.

"You... trust me? That easily, you don't even doubt me?" she questioned, seeming struck by my certain answer. I merely nodded my head, though. There wasn't a single shred of doubt in my mind, and although it was illogical - I didn't know why - I didn't question it, either. I knew Shiena was a good person. Of course I trusted her. I knew that Nio was the one to blame here, and not Shiena, after all. It was more like a gut feeling, but I was willing to believe it.

"Nope. I don't doubt you, not even one little bit." I reassured, with a childish grin.

"But, you..."

"Your my _roommate_ and _best friend_, Shiena-chan. You wouldn't go through all this trouble just to convince me you had nothing to do with this, right?"

"R-Right." She seemed to be very taken aback by my words, sitting tightly in her seat as she nodded. "Right... you're... ah, you really are a strange person." Although it seemed like an insult, I didn't take any offense. I was a strange person, I knew that already! And plus, Shiena was only saying that because she had nothing else to say.

"I know! But still. This situation doesn't make much more sense to me than it does to you, sadly."

"Yeah, I know... it's pretty frustrating, actually." she groaned, running a hand through her messy fringe. "I don't get how you saw me, if I wasn't there. I mean, well... it's obviously got to do with Nio, but..." To be honest, I didn't want to think about that girl at all. Hashiri Nio... just saying her name brought up a sense of insecurity. But at the same time, I had to listen to Shiena, anyway.

As she cupped her chin, she continued speaking, letting her thoughts flow from her mouth. "Ugh... if her ability has something to do with changing appearance or creating clones or whatnot, it wouldn't be too surprising."

"Imagery? Dummies? Cloning? You think her ability has something to do with those?"

"That's the only explanation I can come up with, at least. Wouldn't it make sense, though...?" Shiena continued, fascination shining in her eyes. It wasn't hard to tell that the idea of other's abilities was something she was interested in, no matter who we conversed about. "With the whole, 'me randomly appearing in the middle of nowhere'... if Nio was able to take on the appearance of me or switch herself out for an image of me, then... yeah. It fits perfectly.

"I mean, if that was the case, she might have done it to try to throw off our memory recollection; to try to throw doubt onto me, or something... but, of course, with you being you, you don't doubt me at all for some reason, so her plan wouldn't have worked... something like that."

After Shiena's big boring explanation, I could only stare in awe. When it was put that way, it did make sense. The only problem was, with only one incident as evidence, we didn't have much proof to support our little theory. Nio's powers - her imagery ability - was _just _a theory. But, even so...

"Sounds good enough to me!" I stated, wearing a proud smile. I could tell from Shiena's frown that my loudness wasn't appreciated, but my cheerful demeanour stayed. It was more like I was using my happiness to drown out my unease towards Nio, but hey, it was working nonetheless. "I guess it doesn't really matter, right...? We'll find out soon enough."

"It sounds like you're saying this whole incident, with you nearly getting concussion doesn't really matter." The other stated, voice low and blunt. My smile turned sheepish.

"Aww, well, you know that's not what I mean." Shiena sighed.

"Whatever."

. . .

Three days.

That's how much time had passed between the infirmary visit I'd excused myself from, and where I found myself then.

Even then, during that time, I learnt most of the news concerning the theory of Nio's ability, and the events of what happened to Otoya.

My roommate Isuke was sleeping in class, and I was merely chilling in my seat, gazing out the window when the announcement played overhead. Echoing through the classroom speakers was an all-too-familiar voice, that only took a split second for anybody to recognise. However, that didn't mean any of us had any idea of what was going on.

_"Class Black, you'd better be listening to this, alright? This is important. All of you - every single one of you, head over to the gymnasium hall immediately! I repeat, everybody head over to the gymnasium hall right now, or suffer punishment!"_

The words were said in such a whimsical, innocent tone, although they still had a sinister ring to them. As soon as they reached me, all traces of confusion vanished from my body. Replacing it, was a feeling of familiarity, along with a string of memories.

This wasn't the first time an announcement like this had played, after all. Several days ago, the same thing had happened. Luckily enough for me, there was no screeching microphone noise to kick it off with this time. The more I thought about it, the more I came to believe that the announcement was pre-recorded.

But, that detail didn't really matter.

I put aside my mental scolding of how forgetful I was - I didn't know how I could just let three inactive days pass by me without remembering the events of the coliseum - and stood from my desk. I wasn't the first one to do so. Many other Class Black members had already drawn all traces of happiness from their body, putting on a serious aura as they walked from the room. Even I wasn't wearing a smile, as I knew the events to come could be disastrous.

"Eh? Here we go again, with Hashiri-san's games..." I heard someone mutter to the air, though I couldn't identify who.

Before I could take another step though, I felt someone's hand grasp around my arm, beginning to tug me along without any other warning.

Almost tripping over, I stumbled past the rows of desks and un-tucked chairs, slowly regaining my balance with each step. With a raised eyebrow, by the time I looked up at the figure of the other person pulling me along, I was already out of the classroom.

I didn't notice when it had happened, but apparently Isuke had woken up sometime during the announcement, as she wore nothing but a blank face as she continued to pull me through the hallway. "Come on. Don't just sit there all day." she snapped. I wasn't sure if she was impatient and wanted to get things over and done with, or if she was excited for the next match-up to come, but I dismissed it with a nervous laugh.

"Says the person who was sleeping a minute ago."

The grip around my arm tightened. I could feel her nails digging into my skin.

"O-Ow, ow, ouch, okay...!"

I could only let out quiet murmurs of pain as we headed towards the gymnasium hall, Isuke dragging me along.

. . .

Even with Isuke dragging me every step of the way, by the time we actually arrived at the gym hall, the majority of the class had already gathered there. In fact, I happened to notice that everyone _was _already gathered there - with the exception of Otoya and Shiena, who probably on their way from the infirmary, or something. The raven-haired girl _was _a deformity after all, and had to be 'carefully handled.' She was required to make stops there every so often after the incident, so it wouldn't have been surprising if that's where they were.

"Hm... so, who have we got missing? Or is everybody here already?" Nio questioned, to no one in particular just as Isuke and I joined the crowd up on the stage.

"I believe the only people absent are Kenmochi and Takechi." Kouko informed. Just hearing someone else point that out made me feel at ease - I was glad I wasn't the only one who'd noticed.

"Hm... somehow, I'm not surprised." the other girl muttered under her breath, which only added to the distrust I'd placed in her. First, this whole mystery incident with Otoya, and now she decides to go around spewing suspicious lines like that? Prior to these events, I was fine with Nio's presence - liked her, even - but now, all I felt was suspicion towards her, and nothing she did would ever be able to redeem the trust she'd lost. "I wonder how much longer I should wait, before I give them punishment..."

Just as a shiver ran down my spine at the clear enjoyment and scheming in her tone, my eyes snapped towards the distinct sound of the shutting of doors.

"You won't have to wait any longer." As soon as that familiar voice echoed through the hall, a proud smile stretched across my face.

"Shiena..." was what slipped from my mouth.

Watching from over my shoulder, I admired the 'cool' aura the pair of girls gave off as they avoided all other glances their way, joining the rest of us up on the stage. If anything, Otoya and Shiena seemed to be the most ready-to-go out of all of us, fire seeming to light up their faces.

"Ah, Kenmochi-san and Takechi-san! What perfect timing you two have!" Nio commented, with an innocent, bright smile. I wasn't buying it, but the smile from my face hadn't faded just yet.

"Yeah, alright, alright... you can cut to the chase, now. Continue with your little coliseum; the reason you brought us here." The brunette pushed, voice oozing with annoyance. If anything, the girl seemed to be holding a grudge against the shorter - which, after all that's happened, would be completely understandable. She looked like she could bubble over with anger at any slight provocation she received.

Brushing the harsh words off with a clumsy grin, the other playfully put a hand through her hair. "Aha, someone's impatient today!" she chirped. The other groaned, mumbling under her breath. I had to adjust my ear range just to hear it.

"..._don't _wanna hear it from you."

"Well, well, anyway! We'll get this thing rolling right away then!" she announced. "As you know, _three days _have passed without _any _attempts, and so, you've all been returned here, as promised." The longer I stared at the other girl, the more my patience dwindled. I found myself pulling a harsh glare, as the seconds passed by. "Whether you make an attempt, or continue to let these matches happen from now on is entirely up to you to choose! Go ahead and wait months until you make an attempt, if you want to!"

Her speech began to bore me.

I muted her voice. It was annoying me that much.

Only when she finally whipped out her nifty tablet once more, and had gathered everyone's portraits, did I reluctantly bring back the sound of her voice.

"Without further ado, we'll get the next match up and running, then!" Just like that, her ranting had finally ended, and she'd pressed the lit-up button in the middle of her screen. I was _thrilled _ to see the rolling die icon show up again. Oh, how I'd _missed _the sight of that little animation, warning us of the terrible decision to come.

"The die has spoken!" she announced, in a humorous tone. I didn't even lift an eyebrow. "The first competitor today is Shuto Suzu-san!" Surely enough, it was her profile that enlarged in the small box, almost as soon as the blonde exclaimed her name. Chatter was soon made after the announcement, but strangely enough, died out within a few seconds.

I heard the bluenette sigh and murmur to herself, with a small chuckle. For someone who was about to be put into an unknown amount of danger, she seemed terribly calm.

Nio tapped the screen again, showing the all-too-intimidating animation.

"And the second competitor is..." We all waited in anticipation, curiosity and dread - the thick atmosphere was made up of a combination of those emotions alone, even though it felt like it was weighing down on my shoulders completely.

However, when the portrait of the next competitor made it's way onto the screen, that atmosphere seemed to lighten completely.

It wasn't because I was feeling relieved, or shocked, or anything like that. In fact, I wasn't even confused, which was pretty strange on it's own.

For some reason, I'd come to accept it without any other thought, just like that.

"...Hanabusa Sumireko-san~!" Nio continued in her cheery tone, as I blinked.

When I glanced over at the orange-haired girl however, she seemed just about as accepting as I was. She didn't seem fazed at all; merely smiled to herself, without a single change in her graceful demeanour.

"Ah, the time's come already...? Then I suppose it can't be helped." she spoke, widening her smile as she clasped her hands behind her back. Both of the competitors were calm about themselves - but then again, since this wasn't the first match to be held, they did have a solid reasoning for it. As long as they could prove their existence as a deformity, and maybe squeeze some information out of them while they did so, then there would be no danger whatsoever.

The voices in the room remained quite hushed, and within minutes, Nio was up and about again, taking control of the entire situation. "I wonder what this match will bring... Shuto-san, Hanabusa-san, why don't you take your places? Any further waiting would be a waste!" she spoke, adding a childish laugh.

_'Everything she does really is off-putting.' _I noted with a roll of my eyes. I'd become so sick of Nio within the span of a few days, it was quite surprising. I knew though, that I wouldn't have to put up with her for long. I had a match at hand, that I could sit back and watch - then after that, back to our dorms. No more Nio.

As Suzu and Sumireko separated from the crowd and headed off the stage, the former girl waved a hand over her shoulder. "I don't expect any wishes of luck, but I do expect a little credit when I come back." she dismissed.

_'They really are calm about this.' _Before I could even get another sentence in though, as I realised a person beside me had turned to face me. They leant over to whisper in my ear before I managed to look up at them.

"This better be interesting." the girl spoke. Although at that point, judging by her distinctive voice and excited tone, I didn't need to look up to confirm that it was Otoya. A smile appeared on my face at the words, as I gave a small nod. I let out a hum of agreement before turning back towards the two girls in the middle of the hall, extending my ears' range to it's maximum, as I sat in silence and watched the events to come. I couldn't help but eavesdrop into every little conversation they shared, curiosity taking control over me.

The circle painted in the middle of the hall was cut by another painted line, creating two halves that each competitor stood in. As unnecessary as it looked, both the girls wore smiles across their faces. For a moment, their composure made it seem like no one's life was in danger - which was something the rest of the girls watching took for granted.

"My, isn't this going to be interesting, Shutou-san?" Sumireko commented, placing a palm in front of her mouth in a polite manner. In the manner she always acts in.

Hands lazily on her hips, Suzu chuckled, neither of the two taking a fighting stance at all. "Indeed. It's nice to see we both see this match in the same light." she responded, smile across her face. Because of their similar expressions, it was hard to tell what either was thinking or plotting.

"3! 2! 1! Let the match... begin!"

Right after those words were announced, the hall fell silent - although apparently not for long. The clacking of heels on the ground; Sumireko taking slow steps towards her opponent filled the atmosphere. It looked like she was strolling, more like it, taking very gradual steps, and wearing a very friendly face.

She stopped only a few centimetres away from Suzu, who hadn't moved a single inch. Everything was quiet once more, making eavesdropping on them a lot easier. "So, what's your next move, Hanabusa?" Suzu taunted, seeming almost too cocky. They both seemed confident.

"Ah, you're not going to act first?" The other asked, arms both by her side now.

Suzu extended her arms out by her side, leaving her open and exposed to any kind of attack. It wasn't the smartest move - it was like she was asking for death or punishment. "You've taken the steps, so go ahead. Show me what you've got."

"You're not worried at all...?"

The other shook her head. "I'm a deformity after all. I don't know about you, but to me, this is quite pointless." The bluenette spoke.

Finally shrugging, Sumireko breathed a sigh, eyes glaring straight at the other girl. "Well, if you're so keen on that, then I suppose there really is no choice."

And without another word of warning, Sumireko grasped onto Suzu's collar. With a fist tightly held together, she lifted her from the floor, keeping her eyes locked onto her...

...before Sumireko swung her arm overhead, and with little effort, threw Suzu across the hall like a baseball. Unable to do anything to stop the throw, the other girl was sent sailing through the air, crashing into the far wall of the gymnasium and shattering part of it.

And the rest of the spectators were left absolutely speechless. In that moment of daze, everyone could only stare, wondering what just unfolded before their own eyes. Throwing someone like that was definitely _not _something a human could do.

The girl that had been thrown had slid from where she collided with the wall, and landed on the ground with a thud and a loud groan. The orange-haired opponent was still wearing her pure smile, eyes half-lidded and glaring at the beaten-up other.

As the spectators began to erupt into murmurs and disbelief, Sumireko slowly approached the other girl. Already, scratches and bruises covered Suzu's body, her back especially, as that was what collided directly with the wall. Teeth gritting together, she continued to wince under her breath, eyes shut as the other towered over her.

"My, oh my. What's this? Are you finished already? How uneventful." she teased, frowning in disappointment. Suzu showed no signs having heard her, not a single change in her behaviour or attitude. She stayed slumped against the wall. "Not even a single word or glance this way. What happened to that attitude of before? Should I stop~?"

"...no, please. By all means, if it makes you feel any better about yourself, keep going."

"Oh?" With wide, blinking eyes, Sumireko looked down in surprise at the other girl who had suddenly spoke up. Strangely enough, it wasn't in a pained tone, either. Her voice had been quite clear and powerful, despite possibly shattering a bone or two moments ago. "What's this? You still have fight left in you?"

"I told you already, didn't I...? I'm a deformity. This... is pointless." Those were the words she softly spoke as Suzu gradually, while shaking, stood to her feet, back arching uncomfortably. Still, her body was showing an unbelievable amount of strength as she met Sumireko's gaze with a confident one of her own.

"My... what an interesting turn of events." the other commented, as she watched her opponent. As she stood up, there was one other eye-catching visual feature about her; something strange that Sumireko couldn't miss. It was almost as if her shadow behind her, the one projected half onto the floor and the wall, was glowing. Instead of being a dark black, Suzu's shadow had a light-blue tint to it. And yet, she spoke no words of having noticed it. "A very interesting turn, indeed..."

"Oh, what are you looking at the floor, for? You opponent is over here." Suzu reminded, snapping her fingers in front of the other's face. Jumping at the noise at first, the other's attention was successfully drawn. It wasn't long before Sumireko wore a bored expression, despite her previous words.

"I'm aware." she dismissed. But, when she glanced back at Suzu there was a _very _distinct difference about her body.

No longer was she slumping over or cradling her own pained body. Instead, she was wearing a confident smile again, standing firm, and looking right back at Sumireko. Why, the only wounds in sight were tiny scratches along her arms and face.

Any other traces of damage had been completely erased.

"...oh. _Oh." _Suddenly, everything made sense in Sumireko's mind, now.

And having noticed the change in her opponent's behaviour, Suzu smirked. "Oh? So you've figured it out? You believe me now?" she questioned. "Must I repeat myself...? I _am _a deformity, as terrible a fate that may be."

"A regenerating deformity, correct?" The other girl was almost immediate to fire her own question back. The other huffed.

"That was very quick, I must say. I commend you and your deductions." she confirmed, with a wave of her finger. "Regenerative Healing. That is the ability of which I've been cursed with."

Dismissing the melancholy in her words, Sumireko frowned at the other. "Regenerating... regenerating... what a pain." she muttered. She wasn't able to keep her thoughts out loud for much longer however, the other interrupting.

"If I have to guess, your ability does allow you to have extreme physical capabilities, yes?" she asked. However, this only amused the other girl. Wearing a grin, she tilted her head to the side.

"That is a little obvious, but yes. It's not merely as boring as that, however. There's more to it, not that I'm going to give you any hints." she explained with a smile.

"Didn't expect you to, anyway. That's fine with me."

"But, enough about my power. I'm interested in your's, to be honest." Sumireko was quick to drop the subject earning the confusion of the other girl.

"Hm? Really, now?"

"Really." she repeated, taking another step towards Suzu. Their toes were almost touching. "Every ability has it's limits, correct~? And yet, your power can presumably stop you from dying. Strange." she continued. The more she said however, the more bored Suzu grew.

"And your point, is...?"

As if she hit the jackpot, Sumireko's grin widened. Shooting daggers with her glare, she chuckled. "Well, there's got to be a limit somewhere. Wouldn't it be fun to try and find it?" She didn't give the other a chance to respond though, placing a gentle hand above Suzu's chest. Her eyes didn't move an inch, as her hand gently pressed up against the other. "I mean, I wonder how long this heart of your's has been beating for, exactly... really, it's all intriguing."

Just as Suzu opened her mouth to comment however, her breath was knocked from her chest completely.

In an instant, seeming to come from the base of Sumireko's hand was a thin, iron spike. Shooting right through whatever was in it's path, it directly pierced through Suzu's heart, extending far enough to even poke through the wall behind the two girls.

Time slowed down, as Suzu's clothes slowly began to dye into the colour red. Her eyes were wide, and losing their vibrant colour as everything spun around her. Everything was becoming out of reach, and even her consciousness was slipping away all too quickly. She didn't have the time to understand anything that was going on. What's worse, was that she had no time to activate her power either.

The spear through her body retracted back into Sumireko's palm as she moved her hand away, taking a step back. She looked over the other with a triumphant smile - something that looked almost sadistic.

Suzu's heart had been speared through, after all. Her heart had been completely destroyed.

And so, with her last breaths, she coughed out her last words as her body fell lifelessly onto the floor.

"...I love you."

No one could speak a word, as the loud thud of her cold body met the floor and her words vanished into the air.

The spectators stared in horror, surprise, interest, amusement - all of them felt something different. But no one said anything for an amount of time that seemed to drag on forever.

"And..." Nio's hesitant tone was what returned reality to every one.

"...and the winner is Hanabusa Sumireko."

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**A/N: so. not. sorry. for. that. ending.**

**But yeah. Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoy writing these! :D**

**I'll try to put writing in my schedule more often, I'm super sorry for these slow updates. orz **

**Still, feel free to leave whatever thoughts you have in the reviews, blah, blah, blah, you get the drill! XD**

**I'll see you in the next one~!**


	9. Chapter 9: Frozen

**Chapter 9: Frozen**

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**A/N: I ALWAYS END UP LEAVING THIS FOR A MONTH. GOSH I'M SORRY. PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEEE. orz**

**I haven't been able to write well for a while, so I tried really hard to get this chapter out. I'm pretty proud that I was able to get this out as soon as I did, otherwise I would have left it for a loooot longer. ;v; But yeah! I've returned, so expect more updates soon! (hopefully) Anyway, feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter, and hopefully you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it~ :)**

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"...and the winner is Hanabusa Sumireko." Those words - said so hesitantly, and so gentle in the atmosphere, were what froze time around us. Everything came to a completely halt, as if speaking had become taboo. As my body began to shake beneath me, I stared in awe. _What just happened?_

I'd watched the fight go on from afar, just like everyone else, listening in on every word the two exchanged. Then, before I knew it, a spear had pierced Suzu through the chest - and presumably, by the unmoving body on the ground, through the heart. The girl has powers of regeneration, but after taking that direct hit, it didn't look like much use.

That meant Suzu had died.

...right?

Suzu had died. The words hadn't sunk in yet, no matter how much my brain repeated them through. No matter how much I stared at the unmoving girl on the floor, or the smirking other that had begun to walk away from her bleeding mess all together, they didn't have any meaning. I mean, the concept of dying... even then, it felt so surreal. So far away.

"Shutou...!" After an unknown period of time passed us all by, what broke the silence was a sharp cry. Kouko, the girl's roommate, seemed to be struck by the reality first. She couldn't control herself, and without a thought, she rushed off the stage. Her eyes were fixed on the destination she ran towards - Suzu.

As she continued yelling out her name, as if that was going to cause her friend to twitch, my eyes fell on Sumireko. Her eyes were open in surprise at the other figure, watching her as she darted past. As soon as she was in Kouko's blind spot, a smirk drew across her face. She looked almost sinister as she stretched out her arm, palm facing the other.

With a smile that seemed to radiate madness, her chest puffed in preparation. No one had the time to process what she was doing, until another spiked rod burst from her hand, hurling right towards Kouko from behind. It's speed was incredible, almost reaching the other instantaneously.

However, mere centimetres away from piercing through the other's back, it suddenly stopped extending. The metal rod froze in place, and Sumireko jolted back in shock. "...what?" Her voice was a mixture of offended and confused. Clearly, something hadn't gone to plan - but that meant Kouko had been spared from injury.

Only then, when the girl showed weakness, did I realise how much my body had tensed up. My shoulders were raised by my sides, and my face showed horror as I watched on. As I was now conscious of this, I tried my best to take deep breaths, and relax. Relax... I'd just witnessed someone get speared through the chest, and someone barely avoid death, but I wanted to keep calm. My shaking hands didn't agree, but I decided I couldn't help that much.

Kouko, without batting an eye towards the other struggling girl, fell to her knees beside Suzu. It didn't look like a smooth landing, but any pain she could have felt was pushed away. Her heart ached more than any physical damage would, at that moment. Her hands clasped around the other's, pale once she made contact with the cold surface. She was losing warmth - and fast.

Pressing the cold hand to her forehead, the girl starting sobbing. She tried to keep her volume to a minimal as she muttered prayers and wishes, keeping her hopes up as much as possible. Avoiding reality was all that she did though, as she closed her eyes. "No, no, no, no... don't you dare, don't you dare tell me this is what fate's got planned for you, don't... this isn't right, Shutou, please... please, use your powers, be strong... come back... come back...!"

After that, I decided I didn't want to hear any more of her pained cries. Tuning my ear range down, my eyes fell to the floor. I didn't want to watch Kouko. I didn't even want to watch Sumireko, with her metal pole still frozen in place. My head was spinning from all the events that flown by, and I didn't want to be there any more.

"...what _is _this? Who did this? Don't act like one of you didn't interfere..." Even after that, I could hear the orange-haired girl's demands from across the hall. Though reluctantly, I lifted my head again, body feeling nothing but a wash of sadness. She was storming over this way, hand aimed towards the floor. The metal was being dragged along with her, creating a subtle screeching. I was glad I'd toned everything down, or else I would have been cringing. "This isn't supposed to-!"

Just as the girl had begun ranting, the rod suddenly shook, and retracted back into her palm. In a flash, it was gone, and even she was speechless. She stared at her palm, and the small tear that was left in her skin. Apparently, there wasn't a problem any more. The only thing left was confusion. "...what in the world..." Sumireko's anger dimmed out considerably as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well. This has been an interesting turn of events..." Before she could continue, Nio's voice resounded in the hall again. Being the host of this strange coliseum, everyone hushed, almost as if taking quieter breaths on purpose. "I declare this match now closed. Free to leave, I guess." And at that, I didn't hesitate to walk right out of the building.

. . .

Just like that, it seemed we'd all returned to our daily routines by the next day. While Suzu's unexpected death did more than shock most of us, her roommate was the closest hit by the pain, which was understandable. While I didn't notice this change of attitude myself, I could only take other's word for it.

Walking into the classroom the next morning, I folded my arms behind my head, releasing a sigh. My body was still sluggish and tired, even after eating a little food. Even after eating Pocky and keeping a whole spare package in my pocket, my body hadn't been re-energised. I could only hope that the school day would somehow awaken it.

Soon enough, the rest of my classmates had filed into the room. The bell had just rung when Mizorogi-sensei entered also, carrying the class roll under his arm. As soon as my eyes gazed towards his, I noticed something off.

He wasn't wearing his cheerful smile at all. In fact, the happiness that usually radiated from him was nowhere to be found. Instead, he looked almost in despair about something, frown taking over his face. After a moment's thought, it wasn't hard to figure out why he looked so down. _'Maybe he got told about _that _incident this morning...'_

"Eh, everyone, please take your seats." It was a simple, quiet order, and yet everyone complied. I was already at my desk, so I kept my eyes on him as he continued. The male stood behind his desk, hands firmly on the table's surface as she spoke. He looked almost on the edge of tears. "I have sad news for everyone today, though I'm sure most of you are already aware of it."

He glanced to the desk, staring down at it before speaking up once more. His voice was gentle and hesitant. "I regret having to say this, but... this morning, your fellow classmate Shutou Suzu has transferred out of the school."

_Transferred, huh? _The words took a moment to sink in, but as I pondered on it, it made more sense. The teachers don't know what's going on. Nio must have somehow covered up the incident, and disguised it as a mere school transfer. I hated to admit it, but that was kinda impressive. Just how many connections did that girl _have?_

"I don't know who it was, but I wanted to thank whoever placed those red tulips on her desk today. I'm sure it means a lot to everyone in this room, as well as I." he continued, wearing a sad smile. He still thought Suzu was alive. "It was very sudden, but hopefully we can all continue the year with our heads held high, for her sake." Then, the room fell into a moment of silence. Mizorogi-sensei collected himself, starting to brighten the atmosphere with his demeanour as he worked up a smile again. "Now that that's out of the way... everyone! I have more news for you. You'll be sitting a surprise test this morning, upon instruction from the chairperson herself."

I was surprised.

Even so, I made no noise, whereas everyone else seemed to groan in sync. Maybe they all felt the same kind of dread and pain towards tests that I didn't. It was strange, but I didn't mind taking them. Everyone always complained about the pressure of them or how boring they were - but I didn't see why it was such a big deal.

"Eh? Oi, quiet down, everyone, it's just a test to see where you're up to! It's not going towards your reports or marks, or anything like that." he continued to explain, trying to settle everyone down. With the only exception being Nio, who was always chatting or saying something to herself or someone else in the background, it seemed to work. "Just try your hardest, okay? Make your teacher proud!" and with those words, he laughed.

With a shake of my head, I somehow ended up smirking myself. This guy really was _too _happy sometimes. But hey, it was a little contagious. "Anyway, anyway. Kaminaga-san? If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to hand these out to everyone." Although it was such a simple request, I could hear the murmurs of other classmates in the background.

Still, the class-rep gave a small nod and an "okay", standing from her seat. Only then did I realise the daggers seeming to shoot from her eyes, piercing everyone she looked at as she took the papers. I couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for the girl. We weren't close, but hey, her closest friend just... died. What else was I supposed to feel?

Following instructions, she passed by everyone, avoiding eye-contact as she handed out the little booklet of papers we received had about four pages stapled together, each double-sided. Just as I got my hands on the papers surface, Mizorogi-sensei started speaking again. It seemed Kouko had returned to her seat pretty quickly too, having finished her job by then. "Alright, as soon as you're handed the paper, you may begin! Do your best!" And then, silence. Exam conditions were taken immediately, and everyone hushed.

_'Time to start, I guess.' _That was the casual thought that ran through my head as I eyed the paper. _'Probably a good time to get out a pencil or something, wouldn't you say, Haruki?' _I reached towards my pencil case to do so.

And then, an explosion blasted off behind me, immediately followed by screams and shrieks. I didn't notice that I let out one myself.

The next thing I knew, my hands were covering my face. Shrapnel and dust particles flew from the corner of the room, soaring in broken little pieces. My eyes were squeezed shut, as my heart thudded in my chest. I barely noticed the shards that had flown by and scratched my skin. Compared to the ringing in my ears, the stinging I felt was nothing.

"...oh my."

Through my cringing, the first thing I heard through my ears' irritation were those words. "...w-what the _hell _is going on!?" was what I yelled out through all the fuss and muffled noise. My first instinct then was to shut off all sounds completely. The ringing didn't stop, but at least the only noise remaining in my ears was silence.

At that moment, the classroom's sprinklers came on, spraying the entire room with water. It was wrecking the test papers on our unaffected desks, but it was effectively lowering the smoke coming from the back of the room. I could only assume it was doing it's job well, and reducing the size of whatever fire had started.

My teeth were clenched together as I slowly lowered my arms, turning in my seat. I scanned my eyes over the scene before me, trying to do everything I could to get a grip on things. However, my breath quickly got caught in my chest - and whether it was from the smoke or my own shock, I didn't know. Coughs rocked out of my chest as my eyes misted with tears, all the rubble and destruction barely visible through them.

From the look of things, the explosion luckily did not obliterate half of the classroom, like my brain had originally assumed. In fact, the only mess was in the corner of the room - in the very same place that Sumireko's desk... used to be.

"What... just..." The words slipped from my mouth. Not that I could hear them.

My body trembled as I looked around. Ash, dust, rubble, and flames; that was what replaced Sumireko's desk. Only a small portion of it remained, broken in pieces on the floor. It seemed her desk was the only one effected by the blast, somehow. I guess it was a pretty small explosion, but...

I didn't care about the desk, or the classroom, or who had to pay the fees to repair it. The state of the girl sitting behind all that mess caused my thoughts to come to a halt.

I expected to see burn wounds, covering the front of her body. I expected to see her torn skin, fresh blood, and the char it all left behind. But there wasn't a single drop of blood in sight. Her skin was torn up alright, and pretty badly at that, but what was underneath it wasn't even flesh.

...what _was _that, anyway?

I felt paralysed as I stared, completely dazed. This _had _to be some kind of dream, or deception power, or something. The longer I kept my eyes on the other girl's wounds, the more it seemed to look like... _metal_ underneath her ripped skin.

Metal? It made _no sense, _but I couldn't think of anything else that looked like that. The substance gleamed in the light, and the water that dripped over it didn't have any effect. It rolled right off, and looked very clean. It wasn't just in one area, either. All the skin that had been torn off her chest and arms revealed the same metal underneath, though they varied in colour. They looked like pads, or something. I couldn't get my head around it.

Sumireko seemed to act all too calmly about the situation, lips moving as she spoke through all the fuss. As she stood from her chair, I watched her make her way out of the classroom, everyone's eyes on her figure. I was sure that everyone else had seen what I had, too.

Only then, when she exited the room did I look around at everyone else. Of course, the levels of panic in the room varied, and everyone reacted differently. Tokaku was crouching by Haru's desk and comforting her at that point, Mahiru looked like she was about to cry, Isuke looked absolutely lost, and Nio had her hands over her ears. Still, there was horror present on the majority of faces, and no one was sitting very calmly. Especially not Mizorogi-sensei.

Just as my eyes fell upon him, everyone else in the room had begun to stand up. His mouth was wide and he seemed to be shouting out orders, frantic as he waved towards the exit of the classroom. Probably telling everyone to evacuate, I assumed. The thought of returning my hearing crossed my mind, but my head was still aching and ringing. Not yet, I told myself.

Wasting as little time as possible, I pushed myself from my desk, making sure to avoid going anywhere near the scene of the explosion as I rushed out the door. _'Go along with everyone else.' _I repeated, having no idea where we were evacuating to.

Well, that is, until I found myself walking beside a familiar classmate - Shiena. When I glanced over at her, she must have either been muttering to herself or talking to Otoya in front of her, because her mouth was moving. Making sure to wait until she'd finished speaking, I took a breath, thankful for the fresh air.

"Hey, Shiena?" I called out, trying to keep my tone at a normal volume. It was quite the challenge, considering I couldn't actually hear it out loud. Wearing a lopsided smile, I slowly began readjusting my ears. It was strange, how all the background noise and muffled voices around me gradually came back to me, as if I'd turned up a volume knob. "Where, uh... where are we going?"

"Oh, Haruki, it's you." she spoke, blinking as if surprised to see me. I gave a small laugh. "Just to the front of school grounds until the room's all cleared up, apparently." It was nice to see someone was listening. I sighed.

"Right, thanks. It's kinda hard to hear orders when you turn everything down, you know?" I responded, pointing towards my ears. She was one of the few people who actually knew of my power now, so she got what I meant, nodding.

"Yeah, that's completely fine. At least in situations like this, you _can _do that. It's pretty useful, if you ask me."

"I guess so..."

"Hey, come on. Your power _is_ pretty cool, have some more faith in yourself." she spoke with a smile, keeping her tone hushed. We weren't supposed to talk about our powers outside of the classroom or dorms, after all. Nervously, I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

. . .

By the time we got to the front school grounds, just outside the building where our classroom is located, my panic had died down considerably. My heart had returned to beating at a normal pace, and I was taking steady breaths, almost like none of that had ever happened. I wore a casual smile as my shoes met the sandy dirt outside, looking around.

I opened my mouth to speak, but held onto my words as I watched everyone else wander around. Most of the others walked off to the right. There, was an area of shade, covered by the trees that lined the school grounds. Picnic tables were scattered about underneath them, of which many of my classmates had taken seats at. _'Better than frying in the sun.' _I pointed out with a shrug, before walking over to join the rest of my class.

Currently, three tables were being used. At one sat Tokaku, Haru, Nio and Isuke, at the second one was Otoya and Shiena, and at the third was Chitaru and Hitsugi. Kouko and Mahiru were still wandering around for whatever reason, and of course, Sumireko had left earlier on. I assumed she was at the infirmary or something, but I wasn't sure.

"Hmm." Even though I let out a small hum in thought, I didn't have to think much about which table to go and join. Enjoying the noise of my shoes grinding against the gravel and rocks beneath me, with a bubbling stride, I took a seat right beside my roommate. "How's it going, Isuke-sama?" I asked, wearing too big of a smile for all I'd gone through that day. I was just glad that when I came over, Isuke was paying attention to her nails, and not conversing.

"Hm...? Oh, it's you." she spoke, harsh and blunt. "What do you want...?"

"What kind of greeting is that? Plus, I asked you a question, Isuke-sama." I repeated. She rolled her eyes at me, clearly not thrilled to see me. I was used to it by then though, and I'd learnt to ignore her attitude. I wasn't _that _big of a nuisance to her, despite all that she says to me. The other girl sighed before finally replying, sharp eyes meeting mine.

"I'm fine, if that's the response you wanted to hear."

"Gee, you can at least try to act like you want to see me."

"Is there something you actually want from me right now, Haruki?" she cut in, quick to change the subject. Giving a small frown, I folded my hands behind my head, thinking.

"Is there something wrong with me wanting to talk to you...?" Almost as if she didn't hear me, she ran a hand through her hair, concentrating on nothing but that for a few moments.

"...as long as you don't bore me, then I suppose not."

"As long as I don't bore you? What's that supposed to mean?" But before she could reply - or even begin to stall her reply - it seemed the others finally realised I was at the table.

"Ah, hello, Haruki-san!" Nio greeted, giving an enthusiastic wave as her ahoge bounced on the top of her head. As much as I wanted to frown and ignore the strange girl, I widened my smile instead, waving back out of respect. I gave a small "hey" back, and that seemed to satisfy her. Still, she continued talking to me. "So, Haru-chan and I have been talking about that explosion ever since we left the classroom. Who do you think did it? 'Coz we have a few ideas."

"About the explosion, huh...?" Despite my internal urges, I couldn't turn down the conversation. I guess I was lucky we were talking about something interesting, at least - it did get me thinking. I'd briefly thought about the cause of the explosion earlier, but not in depth, and I hadn't considered much. My mind was too scattered back then. Now that I could think straight, it was worth taking the time to ponder on. "I dunno... I mean, we don't know much right now, so the only thing we can do is guess."

I glanced over at Haru, wearing a small smile. My eyes then drifted from her and over to Tokaku, who looked just as thrilled to be there as Isuke. I could only assume that she was dragged along by her roommate, and had nowhere else to go. A part of me felt a little sorry for her, but at the same time, the thought of her being unable to resist Haru was amusing.

"Well, yes, but no guess is baseless! Even with the small amount of information we have, we can still make assumptions based on them." Nio continued, nodding her head as if she was proud of herself. "It was an explosion. The intended target was Hanabusa-san. Those are the main facts. The culprit must have either access to explosives, or have an ability relating to that!"

Humming to myself, I thought about Nio's words. "If you ask me, I'd say that the opportunities to plant an explosive near Hanabusa's desk is pretty low. She's always at class early, and if there was some explosive, she'd probably notice..."

"So... then it must relate to their ability?" Haru asked, contributing to the conversation for the first time ever since I came.

"Not necessarily. I mean, we don't know when the explosive was planted, or when it was activated. It could have been put there mere seconds before it went off." And with that, Tokaku sighed, folding her arms. Maybe underneath her cold attitude, she is actually interested in stuff like this. Anyway, she did bring up a good point.

"Oh, Tokaku-san! You're joining us, now are you?" Nio cheered, looking almost too excited. The other girl didn't even bat an eye towards her.

"Don't lose yourself over it, I was just saying." The blonde deflated at that comment. However, Nio seemed to live off her energy, and it was quick to return to her body.

"Well, if you say so. That doesn't get us very far, does it?" she continued.

"Not really..." Haru spoke, frowning. She looked really worried about this incident, although I couldn't blame her.

"...say, didn't you say earlier that you had some suspects in mind...? A few ideas, or whatever?" I briefly remember the blonde bringing that up a few moments ago, and I couldn't help but mention it. If they already had vague ideas, then there wasn't much point in thinking too hard about it.

"Kaminaga-san or Banba-chan. That's what they said earlier." Out of the blue, Isuke responded, admiring her nails. Although she didn't look up either, I couldn't help but glance over at her, blinking. Before I could get another word in, she continued. "The former has a thick motive, considering Shutou-san's death. The latter has a split personality capable of doing anything when we're unaware, and has many opportunities to plant something on Hanabusa-san. Nothing too decisive."

The others went silent as I comprehended everything, pouting. They had a point, but like they said earlier, they were just assumptions. Maybe after all the shock wears off and we're let in on some more information about the incident, things will become clear. I was sure that while we sat outside and talked about it, the room was being investigated.

"Not too many possibilities at this point, are there?" I questioned, giving a sigh. "Guess we'll just have to wait until we know more about this."

. . .

_Meanwhile, in the corridors of Myojo Academy..._

Hanabusa Sumireko was known for being able to always seem calm and collected, and stay polite, no matter the situation. However, as she walked through the corridors of the school, ripped skin showing her metallic body underneath, she couldn't keep all of her emotions bottled up. She wore a frown, almost storming her way down the hallways with a harsh glare. Luckily enough, there weren't any other people around her to see it.

After abruptly leaving class after a explosive incident, the girl had told her teacher she was heading to the infirmary. It was only the natural thing to do, after all. Normally, people would suffer burns and severe injuries from such an event. But, the girl felt completely fine. The only thing that needed fixing was her appearance - nothing more.

In fact, she wasn't even heading to the infirmary at all. Instead, she kept another destination in mind, taking turns and climbing stairs just to reach it. She didn't stop walking until she was faced with twin, maroon doors, above them sitting a sign that read, _"Chairperson's Office"._

Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself once more. She could scold herself for acting so irrationally later, her business came first. Instead of knocking, the girl pressed a metallic finger to the doorbell hanging on the door-frame in front of her. She smiled as the bell rung.

"Yes, who is it?" a voice called from the speakers above. The girl held her hands in front of her body.

"Hanabusa Sumireko, from Class Black. There seems to have been an incident and I may need assistance, or contact with my father. May I come in?" The voice paused at the polite reply, almost as if the other person was pondering and making a rough decision. Sumireko didn't say a word, although her body was unsettled and growing impatient.

"...assistance? Sure. The door is unlocked." The girl sighed, relief rushing through her.

"Thank you very much." She closed the door behind her with a click.


	10. Chapter 10: Stupid

**A/N: GUESS WHO'S BACK. AGAIN.**

**Gosh, I say that after every update. I'm really sorry. ;v; But hey, like I promised, I got the next update out! Hopefully from now, they'll come quicker! (I say that every time too. orz I'm sorry, once again.) I mean it this time, though. My writing ability is back in full-force, and so are my ideas. :)**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

**EDIT: I'M THE BIGGEST MORON IN THE WORLD WHO SHOULD NOT WRITE AT MIDNIGHT. XDD; If you read this before the edit, ignore the ghost suzu please she's not supposed to be there. very sorry for the confusion or false hope i gave anyone hopefully you can forgive me ;-;**

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**Chapter 10: Stupid**

**Haruki POV**

Just as we had taken a pause in our conversation, regarding the explosion that occurred earlier that day, a familiar ringing resounded in the background - faint, but still audible, nonetheless. Having naturally adjusted to a human earshot well before coming outdoors, I assumed everyone else heard the noise as well. The chattering of our class dulled, and from the quiet speakers inside the school, we listened. An announcement.

"All Class Black students, please assemble in classroom 1901 in the school building's tower. That is, all Class Black students, to classroom 1901 immediately."

To the tower, huh...? Having little practical classes, and no need to go in there, I couldn't say I was familiar with the place. Still, it wasn't like I was going alone, I didn't need to worry - everyone else had already begun standing from their seats, and walking back into the school grounds.

The only thing on my mind was the reason we were suddenly called to move. Temporary classroom, maybe? We might be returning to class? I doubted it. It had been too short a time for them to organise something like that, and there was no need to send us all the way inside the _tower. _Gritting my teeth, I sighed, following everyone else. I had no choice but to go along with them, waiting for what was in store for us.

It was late-morning by the time we all gathered in the classroom, scattered about the large area. The place was too big to call a classroom, but too small to call a hall. It was about half the size of the school's gymnasium, with the far wall being completely lined with window panes. The ceiling was high above our heads, and the floor was made out of the same, metallic substance as the walls - both white and unsettling. There wasn't a single beam of colour besides that in the room.

This was definitely the first time I'd been in such a room, and I knew, straight away - I hated it. It looked like a scientist's playground, a home for lab rats. What was this classroom supposed to be used for, anyway...?

Before my line of thoughts could continue, a crackling resounded from the room's speakers. Sounded like someone was turning the microphone on, or something. The noise of the room lowered, as we waited for the voice to come through.

"Aah, thank you very much for cooperating and assembling as soon as possible. We are humbly pleased you did so." The voice was strange, squeaking while still holding a rough tone. Whether it was male or female was impossible to tell. I could only assume they were using some kind of voice alternation device. _'Why would someone need something like that, inside a school...?' _

"However, only one student will be required to be inside this classroom at a time. Right now, you'll all be required to undergo a deformity exam, similar to the entrance one you were exposed to, upon entering this school." And with those words, my heart sunk. Another stupid exam. It wasn't like the first one was bad enough, or anything. Still, I _had _been told of it beforehand by Nio, that week or so ago - I'd just forgotten about it completely.

"You will be assessed in attendance number order. While a student is undergoing their exam, everyone else is required to wait patiently outside the room. This room is sound-proof, so there is no need to worry. Exams will be taken in the form of a simulation, where each of you will be required to complete a set number of tasks and tests, unique to your abilities. Let me remind you, this is for the safety of you, and other students at this school.

"Several specialised staff members and experts will be monitoring your progress and results from a set of cameras placed inside the room. However, due to regulations, the images and results shown by said cameras will be transferred anonymously; in such a way that does not reveal your individual identities."

I wasn't even going to question how something like that would work, but I went with it. The other's explanation was finally over, with that last piece of information, and I could tell everything was just getting ready to begin. _'It's only one test.' _I reminded myself. _'Only one, stupid test... just follow their orders, give them the results they want, and you'll be done. Easy as that.'_

"Without further ado, the examination process will now begin." they announced. "Attendance Number 1: Azuma Tokaku. Please wait behind. Everyone else, please make your way outside, and wait patiently. Thank you."

Sighing, I turned heel and walked right out the door, following everybody else. This was going to be a long, boring process. I could just tell.

Even while I made idle chat with a few of the other girls, it seemed like forever had passed before Azuma came out of the room, stone-faced as ever. "Inukai, they're asking for you."

. . .

"Haruki?"

"Huh?" Caught off-guard, in the middle of conversation with Haru, I blinked, turning to face the familiar voice. My heart sunk a little at the sight, worry beginning to grow inside of me. It was Shiena, having just exited the exam. However, the blank look she gave was unsettling. She looked almost... exhausted in a way, although she forced a smile onto her face. Pointing over her shoulder, she motioned towards the room.

"Your turn." And just to make me feel even worse, I heard those words, sighing. I couldn't run from it any longer, I had to go through with this, just like everyone else. Returning the smile, I nodded my head.

"Alright." Glancing over my shoulder at the other girl, I gave a small laugh. "Guess I'll be back in a little while, then." And with that, I gathered up all the courage inside of me - pushing open that metal door, to step back inside the white-walled room.

_'A simulation, huh...? That shouldn't be too bad. No one's in the room, anyway. No one watching over me... at least, not directly... it'll be fine.' _Repeating words of encouragement to myself, I stepped into the centre of the rectangular room, looking around. Hands finding their way behind my head, I waited, tapping the floor out of habit.

Silence. There was nothing to greet me inside, and especially not anyone else to greet me, either. "...hello?" Weakly, I called out into the room. For a solid minute or two, there was nothing. Just... nothing.

There was nothing, right before the sound of crackling static reached me, and I flinched. Someone needed to get those speakers fixed, and fast. Eye twitching from annoyance, I took a deep breath. At least I wasn't standing around awkwardly any more. The exam was going to begin, everything was going to get over and done with. Over and done with, it was going to pass by quickly, there was nothing to worry about... right?

"...filter ...b, enhanced ...aring. Simulation 1, task 1..." The words that came through were muffled, and they sounded like they were whispering. Was I not supposed to hear that? I had no idea what was going on, until they spoke up again, this time, more clearly.

"Thank you for your patience. The exam will now begin." The more I heard it, the more I came to dislike that voice. Oh well. Brushing off their words with another deep breath, I closed my eyes. Time to focus, time to get this done.

As if on cue, when I opened my eyes, the scenery around me pixelated and altered. Suddenly, I find myself standing in the middle of a crowd of people. They filled the entire room, walking around, and all talking at the same time to produce a loud, background noise. Although they look real and I can feel when they bump past me or brush my shoulders, their figures fizzle and sway every few seconds - definitely part of a simulation.

Over the top of all the noise, I hear the person from the speakers, relaying messages. "Now, this is your first simulation. You will go through two of them, and are required to complete two tasks per simulation. Understand?" I nodded my head.

"Got it." I yelled over the top of everyone else.

"Good. Now then, your first task is this." they began. Turning down the volume of everyone else to hear them clearly, I listened. "Identify your teacher, Mizorogi-sensei and relay what he's talking about. Describe everything you pick up... what he's talking about, who he's talking about, what he sounds like."

Giving another okay, I looked around. I wasn't going to get anywhere just by standing in place. Straightening up, I took a step - or rather, I tried to. My body resisted, merely flinching in place. "H-Huh?" Something was holding my whole body in place. I couldn't move.

"Limitations of this task include immobility, background noise, and a crowded space. Please do your best."

"Only _now _you tell me...?" I grumbled under my breath. Helpful. I had to deal with it, though. Calming down my nerves, while my body stayed in place, I glanced around the entire area. There were all sorts of strangers flooding into my field of vision, it was impossible to make out everyone's faces. I didn't recognise any of them - where the hell could that teacher be?

Frowning, I turned to the right side of the room, silencing the left half completely. Half the noise fizzled out, and I concentrated on all the voices I could hear. If I couldn't see him, maybe I could make out his voice...?

As I stared on, I kept reducing my field of hearing. Nothing. I didn't pick up on any recognisable voice, which only continued to annoy me. Turning to the other side of the room, I repeated the same process, hoping I could find him sometime soon. Or any time, really. Finding him would be the hardest part - eavesdropping would be a piece of cake.

"Seriously...?" I sighed. What was the point in these exams, again...?

There was nothing to the sides of me, nor was there a recognisable face in front of me. I turned to glance over at my shoulder to look behind me, body aching with the unnatural motion, when I stopped.

"Yeah... It was really..." For a moment, that male voice stood out above the rest, for one reason - I knew who it belonged to. Although I couldn't see him from the awkward position I stood in, I knew that Mizorogi-sensei was behind me. Walking off the my left, talking to himself. Immediately, I tuned my hearing, silencing everything around me. The only thing I could hear were his words.

"...strange, huh? I never thought the chairperson would actually think that. It's my first time taking a class like this, so I really hope it goes well. I know I'm the only person who can handle it, considering I'm the only one with knowledge on such deformities, but... ah, I've really gotta stop worrying about these things. It'll be okay, right? It'll all be okay. As long as I trust the chairperson..."

The things he said didn't really make any sense, but the longer I stood there listening to them, the more they began to fade out. He was getting further away, and his voice was growing a little more hazy with each step. Time to relay the message.

"Eh, I found him." I spoke to the air, not knowing who would be listening. Just in case the person from the speakers decided to respond, I widened my range to hear everything in the room again - save for the annoying background noise of the simulation. "He's mentioned the chairperson twice now. He seems really disappointed, or worried about Class Black, or something. He's trying to cheer himself up now. He's walking over to the left, just talking to himself."

"Task 1 has been completed. Moving on to the next task." I never thought hearing that voice would sweep me with relief, but at that moment, it did. Sighing to myself, naturally, I tried to turn around and face the voice. My body resisted - still immobilised, huh? "Next. Identify and describe the voices of the four people standing in the corners of the room. Limitations are identical. Continue doing your best."

"Alright." _'Whatever.' _Keeping most of my words to myself, I glanced straight to the front-left corner of the room. Simple enough. From what I could see, there was a teenage girl just standing there. I wandered for a moment how I missed the fact that the people in the corners weren't moving, like everyone else, but dismissed it. I had to focus on my hearing, not my sight - because that's all that mattered to these guys. They just want the results...

Muting the rest of the room, I waited.

But I heard nothing.

_'...eh?' _Confusion was quick to settle in my head, as I blinked. I couldn't hear anything coming from her. That meant, she wasn't speaking, then...? That realisation only made my job twice as hard. They really were out to annoy me.

Grumbling, I sighed. Looking over to my right, I switched targets, focusing on the adult male in the right corner. I barely managed to see him from where I stood, typing away on his cell-phone. He wasn't speaking either, mouth shut in a deep frown. This wasn't going to be easy at all. Widening my range so that I could hear just the man and the girl in the corner, I glanced over my shoulder.

Just as I prepared myself to add the little girl in the corner to my hearing list, whispering reached my ears, and I stopped. "A-Ah, oh no... I think I'm lost." It was definitely a female voice. Though unrecognisable, I turned towards the teen girl from before, shoulders easing once I saw her lips moving. "This isn't good, I thought I trusted... her..."

"Alright, the girl in the back-left corner," I began, describing exactly what I could hear. "has a soft, weak voice. It sounds quite childish. It's high-pitched, and smooth... that's about all I can say, I guess."

Knowing that I had to monitor three other people in the room, I immediately shut off my hearing from the teen girl. Listening out for the man in the corner, and the child in the back left, I waited. Maybe this wasn't so hard or stressful after all. It's like a game of hide-and-seek for blind people - except, I wasn't blind.

As I waited for the next person I speak, I went to tap my foot out of impatience, but was held back again. My muscles tensed, but no movement came. I'd forgotten that I'd been immobilized, from the neck down. "Great. Okay."

Finding boredom in this task, I glanced over my shoulder at the last person. I wasn't expecting much of the simple movement, but my eyes widened as soon as they directly met their's. Looking right at me with a fitting, cold glare, and moving their mouth constantly was... Isuke?

I hadn't recognised a single person in this entire simulation, save for my teacher. Why was Isuke here all of a sudden? And why didn't I notice earlier? Questions ran through my head, and despite my desire for answers, I had to push it all aside. There wasn't going to be any answers, no matter how curious I was. And plus - it didn't matter, anyway. My focus here was to complete the tasks at hand, moving forward, whether I understood them or not.

And with that, I was reminded of my current task. I was to describe their voices, but... if that was Isuke, did I really _need _to hear her voice? I knew exactly what it sounded like, and how to describe it. Was there really a point, or was this just some trick they pulled on purpose...?

I couldn't trust the scientists behind any experiment I went through, no matter what. That also meant I couldn't trust the ones behind this exam. I had to make sure - there was no doubt about it. Shifting my gaze away for a split second, I sighed. Adjusting my hearing with a small buzz, I focused on what my roommate was saying.

"Oh, Haruki-san, you finally looked this way. About time. I was getting bored here, you know. Being part of your silly simulation isn't very interesting at all. Your ability doesn't even give me anything to look at, how sad."

"...h... huh?" Without thinking, the word slipped from my mouth. That was definitely Isuke's voice, alright... but... why was she _talking to me? _Was that supposed to happen? Wasn't this just a simulation? Things were making less and less sense.

"Don't give me that." Rolling her eyes, the girl continued. "Just... come here. You look like a lost puppy, standing all the way over there."

"Wait, but I... you're just..." I didn't know why I was talking back. That was probably what confused me the most. I couldn't stop myself, really. It felt wrong to ignore her - she seemed so... real. "I can't... move, Isuke-sama. It's a part of the simulation... just like you are."

I felt an ache in my chest as I cut off Isuke's sound from my hearing, now only listening to the other two people, standing in the corners. I had to finish this task, as quickly as possible. Now wasn't the time for talking - it was for listening.

"Isuk- I mean, the... girl in the front right corner's voice is breathy, and feminine. She uses a harsh tone when she speaks, and her pitch fluctuates. She has a mature voice, that... well, yeah. You get the point." Stopping myself there, I concentrated on the other two people. This was going smoothly, I was progressing well. Just a little further.

I hadn't noticed when it started, but once I started paying attention to them again, the sound of sniffling reached me. Quiet, muffled, and barely audible, but I wasn't about to miss it. Startled by the sharp breaths and quiet sobs, out of habit I muted everything but it. The noise sounded like it was coming from behind me - the girl, obviously.

If my body wasn't already, those quiet cries would have paralysed my entire body. A child crying, all on her own... it reminded me of my own family. The daily occurrence, the smiles I would try to bring, the-

_'Stop. You already got distracted once, hurry up... and finish this damn exam.' _Scolding myself. That's how I stopped my thoughts from going any further, that's how I stopped the frustration from boiling in my chest. Focus, Haruki. Focus.

I only had to listen to the girl's crying for a few moments longer. Though she hadn't spoken any words, it was enough to make out her voice, thankfully enough. As soon as I needed to, I shut off her noise as well. When I heard silence, I tuned my hearing again. I forgot to allow the man's voice into my hearing. Whoops.

Now that it was all cleared up, I opened my mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the stranger's voice. On top of mine, he ranted on under his breath, staring at his phone. "Oi, oi, oi! Don't cut off on me, don't you dare... I need you, I need you, come on...! Just hold up a little longer. Just a little... just...!"

Sick of him already, I muted everything except for my own voice. I took a deep breath. "The little girl in the back left corner is crying. She's probably about 5 or 6 years old, and her voice is immature and high-pitched to match. It has a rough quality to it, though... the man sounds like an ordinary guy, I guess. Deep, low, I can hear the bass in his voice, or whatever. Smooth and clear."

Once I was done speaking, I slowly opened up my hearing range again. Taking in the background noise of the simulated people, and the buzzing of the speakers, I waited. The voice was back again. "Task 2 has been completed. Moving on to the next simulation. Preparing landscape. Please wait a moment."

"Okay, got it..." Frowning, I waited patiently as the world around me glitched and faded out. The noise was suddenly cut off too, leaving me standing back in the plain, white room I entered moments ago. Feeling a tight force suddenly release my body, I swayed on the spot. I nearly lost my balance.

Looking down at my feet, I blinked. I tapped my foot against the ground. I stared at my opening and closing palms. "Hm. I'm free again, huh...?" I couldn't help smiling from relief at those words. "Perfect." And with that, I stretched my arms above my head. Having no clock inside the room and no way to check my phone, I had no idea how long I'd been in the room so far. Considering how much my legs were aching and how long I'd waited outside the room previously, I could only assume it was a long time.

And I was only half way. Hooray.

Hearing a digital, ringing sound effect and the crackling of the speakers, I flinched, looking around as everything pixelated once more. I didn't have time to think about what scene was next, before it was presented right in front of me.

Nothing much changed about the room at all, actually. Nothing did, except for the blank, glass wall. Instead of revealing the sky outside, in front of it sat a large set of speakers, much taller than any human, that covered the entire wall.

"Oh... god..." Why would they need such large speakers? And why would they need so many of them? My mind could only come to one conclusion.

For large sound, they needed large speakers.

This simulation was going to involve some real loud noises. At least I had time to prepare myself. Sort of.

"Landscape preparation complete. Simulation 2, ready." The voice sounded like a robot by now, repeating words as if programmed to do so. "Alright. Now, this is your second simulation. You will go through two more tasks. Understand?"

"Uh. Yeah!" They really _did _sound like a robot. They said same kind of thing earlier, before the other simulation. Was there really a person behind that speaker, or were the staff behind this exam just messing with us...?

"Good. Now, your first task is this." Again, with the repeating sentences. "Music will play through the speakers. It will loop until you identify which speaker the vocal harmonies are coming from. Once you have an answer, stand in front of or indicate which speaker your answer is. Limitations include: multiple speakers, overlapping sounds. Please do your best."

"Alright." Keeping my speaking to a minimal, I exhaled through my nose. This one wasn't going to take as long - at least, hopefully. I was fully prepared and ready, thoughts running wild with ways I could speed up this process. I was going to get this done with, like I'd been repeating to myself the entire exam.

The first thing that blared through the speakers was the deafening sound of an electric guitar, followed by crashing drum cymbals, and the rest of the instruments. Wincing at the loudness, I tuned down my ear's sensitivity. Rock music? These guys really were going full-out with these tests. _'Is this place seriously sound-proofed? No on out there can hear this at all?' _

Waiting in place, I put a hand to my hip. There wasn't any use in doing anything or using my power if there weren't any harmonies to locate. I was pretty much looking for background vocals, after all. There wasn't a point in doing anything if there weren't vocals to begin with.

After half a minute or so - I wasn't keeping track - a female voice finally begun to sing. Though it's mature, deep tone sounded familiar I dismissed it, trying to listen in the background for any other vocalists or notes. _'Alright... easy, now. This is gonna be real easy. No problem at all... just one more to go after this.'_

A second voice in the background of the song - as soon as I heard it, my eyes snapped open. _'Pinpoint where it's coming from.' _My mind wasted no time shouting orders, that my body immediately obeyed. Head looking left and right, my eyes narrowed in concentration. _'Block out everything else, focus on the voice you're hearing.'_

On command, my ears adjusted. There were no more drums, guitars, bass, vocals - well, not entirely. I could hear the harmony vocals still singing, coming from one certain direction. Eyes quickly scanning over to my right, where the sound was coming from, I ran towards it without hesitation. The voice was guiding me, I just had to find it.

Eventually, I ended up running over to the right wall, faced with three large speakers in front of me. Two stood side by side, while one sat horizontal across them both, like a beam. _'Which one...' _I repeated. _'I just have to find which one it is...'_

Wasting no time, I looked to the speaker to my left. Shutting off everything else except for the noise produced by it, I waited.

Silence. Definitely wasn't the speaker.

Repeating the process for the other two, I came to a conclusion. Widening my range again, to hear the music at full-blast, I pointed at the horizontal speaker. "Oi, I found it. It's coming from that speaker, and only that one."

The music stopped. Well, more like it faded out into silence. There was a moment pause, before that familiar crackling resounded again. "Task 1 has been completed. Moving onto the final task." _Final. _That word released a weight off my chest as I breathed in the air, clenching and un-clenching my fists. One more. Just one more to go, then I'm done. "Next. This task will be completed in a different manner. Rather than having to complete the task, rather, your reaction will be recorded."

My reaction? What was that supposed to mean? Though reluctantly, I gave a nod of my head, allowing the other to continue. "Good. Please bare with us, as we prepare the next task." And then, I was left waiting again. Again. If they were the good scientists they claimed to be, couldn't they at least have shortened the preparation time for these things?

Hands sitting on the back of my neck, I stood in silence. What else was there to do? I was quite bored really, stuck doing nothing for half the exam, but I couldn't complain. I could only roll with it, and hope this task wouldn't take nearly as long as everything else.

_'What's taking so looong...? Man. I know we're dealing with high-tech science here, but this is near ridiculous, guys.' _As I sighed to myself, I looked around the room. _'Aaany moment now. Come on. I can only wait for so-'_

_BOOM!_

Interrupting my thoughts was the sound of a deafening explosion; blasting from the speakers loud enough to shake the walls of the room. Hands flying to cup my ears, my instant reaction was to mute the sound, drowning everything out into silence except for the buzzing in my ears. Body twitching as my mouth and eyes slammed shut, I groaned. "W-What the _hell...!?"_

I waited in that state for a few moments, buzzing eventually fading out into complete silence. By then, I figured it was safe enough for me to slowly listen to the room again. Opening my eyes as I did so, my hands slowly fell from my ears. There was nothing, now. The noise had been turned off.

Slowly straightening my back and looking around, my hearing returned to normal. My brain was still a little cluttered from the sudden events, but besides that, I was feeling fine. "W-Why would you... what..."

My words lost me, and my muttering was overwritten by the crackling of those speakers. "Task 2 complete. Simulation has successfully been completed." _'_That _was part of the damn task...!? _That _was the task? What kind of messed up-' _"Your results have been recorded. Thank you for your time. You may exit the facility. Next attendance number: 8, Takechi Otoya."

Grumbling from my left over emotions, I shook my head as I began walking towards the door. It was over now. No more exam, no more tests - at least, not for another week. I tried to let my relief consume me, but my body was still unsettled.

Stupid exam.

Putting on my best grin to hide all that as soon as I came out of the door, I approached the tall, purple-haired girl. "Takechi, looks like you're next." And, I laughed.

I really do hate those exams.

I thought that, once I walked out that door again, things would be over and back to normal. We would go back to class or whatever once everyone was finished, and I wouldn't have to worry. Tomorrow would be normal too, and things would carry on as if we were regular humans.

I didn't expect for something to happen overnight. Something that would tip that vision of tomorrow upside-down.

. . .

It was late, in the middle of the night. The sun had long been set, and the moon had taken it's place in the now darkened sky outside. Light wasn't pouring in through every window any more, as darkness had taken over - which meant that it was time...

Time for Shin'ya to show up.

Having escaped from her dorm room, unnoticed by her sleeping roommate, Shin'ya was now prowling the dark corridors of the dorms. She had been for a little while now, patrolling, in search of a few certain people. She had a plan; one that she would definitely follow through, both for herself and Mahiru's sake.

Hammer dragging along the floor, the deformity tried to make as little noise as she could as she roamed around. Half of her plan - the investigation half - had been completed. Now, the fun part.

Approaching Room 7's door, she gave a hard knock, standing outside impatiently. It was like she was oblivious to the fact that people were supposed to be asleep at this hour, as she crossed an arm against her chest. "Just how long can you possibly take to answer your damn door...?"

Just as she rose her hand to give another knock, the door swung open, revealing a half-drowsy figure inside. "Who is knocking at this hour... oh, it's you." Nio muttered, as she met Shin'ya's eyes. "What do you need me for?"

Grinning with all signs of insanity showing, the other laughed. "I need you to clean up for me. I'm gonna take a shot at someone today."

Frozen by the other's words, and by her fatigue, Nio blinked. "Oh. _Oh. _It's time for that already, huh...?" Soon, she found a grin plastered on her own face. "Who's it gonna be, huh~?"

Vacant hand finding her hip, Shin'ya looked around the corridors before responding. "It's~ A~ Secret!" she teased. The other clearly wasn't amused, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmph. Well, where's your location then, huh?" she pressed, hoping to get _some _information out of the other. But instead, Shin'ya's grin widened.

"Dunno. Looks like you'll just have to watch, and see." And with those mysterious words, the white-haired other turned from the door, dragging her hammer along as she laughed down the corridors. That left Nio alone. Again.

"O-Oi! I can't clean up for you if I don't know where you are...! Gah, she's already gone..." With that, the blonde felt defeat, sighing as her shoulders fell. "Well. It's not like I can do anything about it." she continued. "I was going to watch anyway, but now, I guess it's inevitable." Closing the door, she turned and laid down onto her bed, pulling out her tablet. Ready to monitor Shin'ya's moves, she waited.

Meanwhile, outside, Shin'ya made her way to the entrance of the public bath. There, she knew her target would be waiting outside, unmistakeably alone. Hammer slowly following behind her, the girl neared the other. Slowly, step by step, she grew closer and closer. Hidden by the darkness, she would make her move.

All while Hitsugi waited patiently, not suspecting a thing. She knew Chitaru was still in the bath, and was coming back out soon - that's why she found herself alone in the corridors. However, by the time she heard the footsteps from behind her, Shin'ya's hammer was already held above her head - ready for a strike.

"Looooks like I _found you!" _Roaring at the top of her lungs, Shin'ya swung down the end of her hammer, thrill rising through her. Barely turning around in time, Hitsugi took a sharp breath, clutching her bear to her chest. She didn't have much time to react at all - if any, before the hammer came crashing down.

...however, the end of the heavy weapon passed right through Hitsugi's body. As if she was a ghost, or never stood there to begin with, the head crashed into the ground.

"W-What the hell...?" Caught off-guard by the misjudgement of the swing, Shin'ya took a moment to recover, swaying on the spot. By the time she understood what had happened, the figure of the other girl had disappeared completely. Gritting her teeth, she growled, eyes searching for her - but by the time she spotted Hitsugi, she was already off in the distance, fleeing the scene.

"Oi, stupid brat! You're not gonna get away, you hear me...?" Yelling at the other to make it impossible _not _to hear her, Shin'ya lifted her hammer out of the ground, ignoring the large cracked surface it felt behind. She was going to go after Hitsugi, no matter what.

The other continued running, sprinting away from the insane other. She was carrying poison on her, as per usual, but this was no situation to use it in. No, this was no time to be drawing further suspicion on herself. If any one else found out that she poisoned someone, surely, that would throw suspicion onto her...

Shaking her head, she continued running. That was the only thing she could do, despite how much she hated it. Despite how cowardly it seemed to her - she had to make it back to her room, and wait for Chitaru there.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw no sight of Shin'ya around, and she didn't know whether to freak out or be glad. She was supposed to be further behind her, _somewhere, _not completely hidden. Where _was _she...?

Reminding herself that it didn't matter, Hitsugi finally approached her door. Feeling a weight in her chest lift, she smiled, reaching for the handle. Keep calm, get inside, and stay safe - that was her plan, as she opened up the door.

"Foooooound you." Hearing that bone-chilling whisper from behind her, her heart stopped. Turning around, she breath caught in her chest. _When did Shin'ya get there? _She had absolutely no time for preparation this time. No luck allowed her to activate her power.

_"Hey, Kirigaya. Let me tell you something, okay...?"_

_"Okay. What is it, Chitaru-san?"_

_"Regarding this elimination game... I can't say I'm not worried, but... it's pointless. We'll get out of this alive, okay? We'll make it through. Together. I promise."_

Remembering the promise she made with her beloved Chitaru, and the proud smile she wore, Hitsugi's eyes closed.

And Shin'ya's hammer smashed right into her skull.

* * *

**A/N: And that's a wrap! ;) What a terrible cliffhanger to leave it at lol. I'm not sorry. XP**

**Anyway, feel free to leave your thoughts in reviews or whatever! I do read all of them, and I love every one of you who reads this. So please don't hesitate to say anything you like. Catch you in the next one~! :)**


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